Ruroushagakure
by Chibi Orochi-kun
Summary: After being banished from Konoha, Naruto wonders until he finds a village of myth. Finally accepted by those around him, will people from his past destroy this new life he has created?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the Original Characters are mine. Thank you.**

**A/N:** This story concept has been bothering me for a while now, but I never had a beginning for it. Now I do, and I finally created enough characters for it. I hope you all like it, I know I'm not the best and hardly anyone reads my Naruto stuff. Thanks.

Ruroushagakure

The morning sun cast rays of red and pink across the dark night sky. All life was sleeping in the forest near the border of the fire country. Despite it being hours before any animal would wake, the small village in this forest was already buzzing with life. People were hard at work readying their small huts and themselves for another normal day. The night guards left for home when their replacements arrived. The primitive village was surrounded by a small fence made of dead trees. It was very easy to break down and transport, as were the huts in the village.

"You're leaving early this morning!" Shouted a guard to a tall woman who was walking towards the hole in the fence that was the exit of the village.

"Well, the prey is moving farther and farther away. We may have to move again." Shouted the woman in return as she turned to call her hunting party to her.

"You be careful out there Kira." Shouted another guard.

"Don't worry, I have Gawdma and the pack to protect me!" Then, a group of dog like creatures emerged from the shadows of the huts. They were large, most a little shorter than an average person. Their fur was rust red in color with black and tan spots on their backs and hind quarters. Long saber fangs hung down from their upper jaw, and on the older ones, tusks sprouted from the corners of their mouths. Their ears pointed backwards, resting against the small horns that sprouted from their skulls. Small, senbon like spines ran from the ends of their snouts to the ends of their tails were there was a large club of bone, covered in the spines. They were creatures called Onibaneko, meaning fanged cat. They weren't technically cats or dogs, but a strange mixture of both. The older ones had large manes around their necks, while all of them had long, feather furred tails. They also did not howl, they roared, loudly. The largest Onibaneko was the one named Gawdma, and she was just as tall as her master Kira.

"Good luck hunting!" Shouted the first guard.

"Don't need luck, just a good trail!" Kira shouted back. Then she and the pack of Onibaneko disappeared into the forest.

* * *

He was tired, beyond tired, he was full out exhausted. He had been running for god knows how long on an empty stomach. He hadn't eaten since… well he couldn't remember. Leaning against a tree for a moment to rest, he wiped some sweat off his face and stared at the noon time sky. Just as he caught his breath, he felt two all too familiar chakra signatures closing in on him, and he did not want them getting too close. He began to run again, hopefully faster this time. But luck wasn't on his side today, he was slowing down. Be it from starvation or exhaustion, he did not know. Sweat ran down his whiskered cheeks as tried to push his blonde bangs out of his face. His blue eyes were open wide but closing fast. Soon, he found himself colliding with the ground, before slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

Two figures, both dressed in black robes with red clouds, followed the starving blonde. They were waiting for him to collapse. Soon enough, their patience paid off. The blonde fell in mid run, his breathing evened out. The figure with blue skin smirked, they had finally caught the Kyuubi. He was about to approach to claim the prize when his partner stopped him.

"What now Itachi-san?"

Itachi did not answer.

"He's out cold, let's go get him and leave."

"Kisame, shut up." Was his answer.

Kisame grew frustrated with Itachi, it was the Uchiha's idea to let the jinnjuriki tire himself out. Now here they were, their target had passed out and now Itachi decided to wait! Kisame wanted so badly to just shred his partner with his sword, Samehada. But instead, he clenched his jaw tightly, releasing a grunt of agitation. Itachi seemed to not have noticed his partners problem, his focus was on the stretch of forest beyond the blonde. He sensed something was coming, but he didn't know what. The whole point of letting the blonde pass out was to avoid fighting, seeing as it was a waste of energy. This situation was no different. Until he knew what he sensed wouldn't cause them problems, they wouldn't go near the blonde, seeing as that would get the attention of that "thing". Then, something emerged from the forest, moving towards the blonde.

"What is that thing?" Whispered Kisame.

If Itachi had not read about them, he wouldn't know himself. "An Onibaneko…" He whispered back.

"A what?"

"A creature native to the red rock plains in the west."

"What the hell is it doing here then!"

Itachi didn't know himself so he chose silence as his answer as he and Kisame observed the lone creature.

The Onibaneko in question was a youngster, didn't even have tusks yet. It sniffed the clearing before directing its attention to the blonde. Both Itachi and Kisame tensed, not knowing what the thing would do. Lucky for them, it only sniffed the boy. Then it returned its attention to its surroundings. Both tensed once more when it returned to the boy, and began nudging him. Making several grunting noises next to the blondes head, it began to try to turn him over. At this point, Kisame was about ready to throw his fear of Itachi to the wind and grab the jinnjuriki. But a hand grasping the collar of his cloak stopped him. The Onibaneko lifted its head in the air, sniffing again. It then sat and began making low grunting noises, similar to a lioness's call for back up. Both Akatsuki members cursed under their breaths when roars were heard a distance away, in response to the grunts.

Soon, a group of larger, adult, Onibaneko entered the clearing. All were similar in color, but their horns, fangs and tusks were all different lengths. Some bore battle scars. All were around the size of a human teen. The youngster who called them was only a little smaller. The adults grunted to the young one, some sniffed the blonde. The two Akatsuki were sweating. The pack silenced when a large Onibaneko emerged. This one was a dull rust color, its tusks extended at least two feet past the end of its snout. There was a scar over its left eye. It towered over the others, standing as tall as an over average human. Its fluorescent green eyes scanned the body of the blonde, before snorting and turning back to the forest.

"What did you guys find?" Came a female voice.

A woman around the same height as the giant Onibaneko stood before the pack. She wore a simple yukatta, covered by the pelt of one of the massive beasts. Black paint was under her eyes, and her hair was a mix of rust red and light brown, pulled back into a braid. All the creatures began to grunt or snort at her. A look of thought came to her face, as if she understood what they said.

"What the?" Whispered Kisame. "Can she understand them?"

"She must be a Ryoushi, a clan that specialized in using the Onibaneko." Itachi whispered.

"You found a what?" The woman asked the creatures.

The all snorted in unison.

"Show me."

The mass of fur parted, revealing the blonde to the woman named Kira. Kneeling next to him, she looked the blonde over. Her expression grew grim as she looked him over. Calling over the large beast, she placed the boy on its back. Turning to the pack, she summoned them to follow her. As the group disappeared into the forest, Kisame cursed.

"Damnit! We lost him again!"

Itachi was silent.

"Damnit Itachi-san, we should have grabbed him earlier!"

"Silence, we will follow them."

The two Akatsuki disappeared.

* * *

Kira and the pack re-entered the village around noon time, Gawdma carrying the mysterious blonde boy they found. She waved to the guards before rushing Gawdma and herself to the largest hut in the primitive village. Nodding to the guard stationed by the door flap, she entered, leaving Gawdma outside. Upon entry, she found the Great Elder was already speaking with someone, someone she couldn't stand. That person was Urufu Sakamoto.

Sakamoto was the last of her clan, who specialized with wolf related jutsu, odd yes. She was slightly taller than Kira, the tallest woman in the village. She had long black hair that trailed to her legs. Her gray eyes held hatred towards Kira. She had normal colored skin, and she wore a simple black yukatta, with black gi pants. Around her neck was a black choker with a silver pendant on it, the Urufu clan symbol, a full moon.

"Kira-chan, so good to see you." Smiled the Great elder woman, named Sumiko.

"Forgive my interruption, Sumiko-sama, Sakamoto baa-san," At the insult, Sakamoto, a woman who was only a year older than Kira, scowled. "But the hunting party has found something interesting, requiring your attention Great Elder."

Sumiko smiled. "Show me, Kira-chan."

"Yes Kira-gaki, what did you find this time? A rock that looks like the Yondaime?" Snickered Sakamoto.

Kira stuck her tongue out at the other woman before exiting to get the blonde boy. Upon return, she laid the orange clad boy in front of Sumiko.

"We found him in the forest, he's very skinny, and probably collapsed from not eating." Kira stated.

As the Great Elder examined the blonde, Kira glanced back at Sakamoto. To her surprise, the other woman was gazing intently at the boy. Her stone gray eyes softened. Turning back to The Great Elder, she waited in silence.

"Kira-chan,"

"Yes Sumiko-sama?"

"Go get some water and food for this boy, once he awakens we will get his story from him. From his appearance I would say he's been abandoned by his village."

"Hai." Kira bowed, and left.

"What do you think Sakamoto?" Asked Sumiko, gazing at the younger woman.

"I'm not sure, Sumiko-sama. What will we do if he has not been banished?"

"Well, return him. If he has, he will stay here. But he will need a place to stay."

"I'll ask around once that fact has been proven true."

Kira returned with a sack of water and a plate of dried deer meat. Bowing, she left again to return to the hunt. Hours past, until finally the blonde boy stirred. Opening his blue eyes slowly, he focused on the two faces in his field of vision. Sitting up, the older woman smiled at him, handing him a plate of food. Not caring if it was fresh or old, poisoned or not, he ate. Sipping the water occasionally, he finished the deer meat.

"What is your name young one?" Asked the smiling older woman.

He paused a moment.

"Naruto."

"Naruto eh? No clan name?" the elder asked.

He shook his head.

"What were you doing in the forest Naruto? You're half starved." She asked as she handed him some exotic fruit.

"Well, I got thrown out of my village,"

"Konoha." The younger woman stated.

He nodded. "I and my team were sent on a mission and we failed. I was the council's scapegoat. I've been out here for two weeks." He trailed off as he ate.

Sumiko's face became saddened.

"Don't worry Naruto, your luck has turned around."

"What do you mean… uh?"

"You may call me Sumiko-sama, I am the elder of Ruroushagakure (The village of Hidden Nomads). And we take in any shinobi who's been abandoned by their village." She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're welcome here."

Naruto smiled.

"Really Sumiko-sama?"

Sumiko laughed a little at his enthusiasm. "Of course, in fact, Sakamoto-chan here would be happy to show you around, acquaint you with the people of the village."

Sakamoto's eyes widened at Sumiko's statement. But she agreed none the less. As Sumiko-sama and Sakamoto-chan conversed, Naruto thought of how great this was, he may have found somewhere where he could belong.

"Come, Naruto-chan, follow me." Sakamoto was standing by the door flap.

Receiving a nod from Sumiko-sama. He stood and followed her out into the village.

* * *

Standing hidden not to far from the fence around the village, Itachi and Kisame wait. Crimson Sharingan following the jinnchuriki's every movement.**

* * *

A/N: Not the greatest but hey, I try. Please review and tell me what you think, if I should continue or not. Arigatou!**

**Preview of Chapter Two-**

Naruto meets the many clans that live in the Ruroushagakure, but one girl around his age stands out, is it because she resembles a friend he had long lost? Or because she is from a clan that is supposedly dead? Read to find out!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or the characters/clans featured in it. I do, however, own the OC's and the Clans i created featured in this story. Thank you!**

**A/N: I finally posted it. I hope you enjoy... It may seem kinda cheesy but oh well. Please, no flames! Thank you!**

Ruroushagakure

Naruto followed closely behind Sakamoto, unsure of what to do in the unfamiliar village. There were people everywhere, all dressed similarly. From what he could tell, everything in the village was hand made. People stared at him, but not like the villagers in Konoha, which relieved him. Maybe he had a chance at a new life after all. A small smile formed on Naruto's face, and he hurried to catch up to Sakamoto. As Sakamoto showed him around, he noticed that the village, though primitive, was large. They passed several large clusters of huts, surrounded by small fences. When he asked, Sakamoto said those were where the clans lived. This brought a question to Naruto's head, how many clans were in this village? It seemed there were clusters of huts everywhere. Leaving his question behind, he enjoyed his tour of the village.

Sakamoto glanced back at Naruto, making sure he was following her, only to find a smile on his face. It warmed her a little to see him happy. This worried her, she usually didn't like new people, or people in general. There was just something about this boy that made her want to care for him. Sighing lightly, she returned her attention to ahead of her. She smirked as she watched everyone work busily, trying to get everything ready for the communal dinner. Some people stopped and asked her who the boy was, only to smile and welcome him when she told them. That was one of the many things she enjoyed about this village, everyone had a big heart. They could care less what you had done in the past and never judged. That alone, was the only reason she stayed in the village.

Naruto couldn't believe how many clans there were. Half the people who he had met were from one clan or another. Mostly, he'd seen people from clans he'd never heard of, like the Raikou clan and the Ryoushi clan. He also met some familiar clans like the Kaguya clan and even some Hyuuga. As he and Sakamoto were walking, Sakamoto was jumped by two boys. After she quickly restrained the "amateur's" as she called them. She turned back to Naruto.

"Naruto, it's time you met some people around your age." She paused, holding the two by the backs of their necks.

"This is Sekieki Isamu." She said, holding out the boy in her right hand.

Naruto looked at the dizzified Isamu. He had long green hair, held back in a high pony tail. His skin was slightly tanned, but not as tanned as Naruto's. He wore a sleeveless brown shirt with brown pants that ended in the middle of his shins. Around his waist was a rope, tied in a not at his side. His feet were bare, but like his hands, covered in dirt. On his face, he had a strange marking, it resembled green scales. When Isamu over came his dizziness, he looked Naruto straight in the eye. This is when Naruto noticed that the boy had gold eyes.

"And this is his twin brother, Sekieki Katsu." Sakamoto thrust foreword the boy in her left hand.

Katsu looked just like his brother, except his scale marking was on his right cheek, not the left like on Isamu. Also, his hair was not as long as Isamu's and was kept bundled at the top of his neck. He too had golden eyes.

"Boys, this is Naruto. He's new so be nice and don't attack him. Unlike you two, he's from a real Shinobi village." Sakamoto warned the boys as she released them.

They merely bowed their heads and, at the same time, said, "Hai Sakamoto-sempai." They then smirked and ran off.

"What's the deal with them Sakamoto-chan?" Naruto asked.

Sakamoto sighed before answering. "Those two? Who knows? It may have something to do with the fact that they were abandoned in the forest… left orphaned. Maybe they just want the attention they never got." She paused and looked down at Naruto.

He had a distant look to his bright blue eyes. She wondered what he was thinking about. Then, pain and sadness flashed over his eyes before he looked up at her, in confusion.

"Naruto-chan, what were you thinking about?" She asked.

"Nothing, really." He answered quietly.

"Naruto…" Sakamoto was about to force it out of Naruto, when he just started talking.

"I was a lot like them. Orphaned and desperate for attention. But the people of Konoha hated me…" He trailed off as he began to walk.

Sakamoto felt a pang in her heart at seeing Naruto sad. She still had yet to figure out why she cared about this boy she basically just met. But hearing some of Naruto's story really struck her. Catching up with the boy, she knelt down and hugged him. Luckily, there was no one around to see this or else there would have been blood shed. Once she released him, she stood up and smirked.

"Lets get moving Naruto-chan, there are still a lot of people you need to meet before dinner."

Naruto smiled and nodded as they continued on.

**---------------**

"Wow Sakamoto-chan, how can so many people live so happily here?" Naruto asked as he snacked on piece of fruit someone gave him as a "Welcome to the Village" present.

"You know Naruto-chan, I would like to know that too." As she answered, Sakamoto spotted someone.

"Come Naruto-chan, there are only a couple more people you should meet, and they're right over there." Sakamoto began walking in that direction, Naruto following behind.

"Yo! Daichi-san, Hanako-san, I finally found you two." Sakamoto smirked at the couple.

"Ah, I give my apologies but we didn't know you were searching for us." Said Daichi in a deep, commanding voice.

Naruto looked at the man from where he was standing behind Sakamoto. He and the woman standing next to him Hanako he presumed looked like someone he knew… but he couldn't remember who. They both had jet black hair, with long bangs that framed the sides of their faces. Daichi ha short hair, unlike most of the men in the village, and wore mostly navy blue. Hanako had long hair, tied back in a braid that ended at her waist. She wore a blue and white yukatta. Both had cobalt eyes and pale skin. Naruto knew they resembled someone that he knew… but who?

"Who's that behind you Sakamoto-san?" Asked Hanako in a gentle voice.

"Oh this?" Sakamoto pushed Naruto in front of her. "This is Naruto, he's new. Sumiko-sama asked me to show him around and introduce him to people. This is Daichi-san and his wife Hanako-san, they're the heads of the Uchiha clan."

Naruto's eyes went wide. Now he knew who they looked like. They reminded him of Sasuke and Itachi. But he had been told that the Uchiha were dead, how was this possible? He was so confused.

"Naruto-chan? What's wrong now?" Asked Sakamoto, both she and the Uchiha's were worried.

"I'm confused…" Naruto trailed off. Sakamoto raised an eyebrow.

"Confused about what?"

"People in my village were told all the Uchiha were dead… killed by one of their own…" Naruto continued to trail off.

Daichi and Hanako looked at each other, coming to a realization.

"You must be from Konoha then, right Naruto-kun?" Asked Hanako.

Naruto nodded his head.

"Well, all the Uchiha in Konoha are dead. Daichi, my self and all of the clan here are descendents of Uchiha's who were banished in Konoha's early years, and even before Konoha was founded. Do you understand?" Hanako explained with a smile.

Naruto meekly nodded. Then he noticed someone standing behind Hanako. Hanako also noticed this, and smiled. She reached back and pushed foreword a girl around Naruto's age. She had jet black hair with bangs that framed her face. Her hair was pulled back into a braid that ended at her waist. She also had forelocks that were bound by what looked like bandages. She wore a black shirt and blue pants. Her hands were crossed behind her, in shyness. She had big cobalt eyes and looked scared to death.

"This is our daughter Natsumi, she's just a little shy. Say hello to Naruto-kun Natsumi" Hanako cooed gently.

"Hi… Naruto…" Natsumi whispered out as she started shaking, she then broke from her mothers grasp and hid behind her father.

"Forgive her, she's not used to meeting new people." Daichi explained.

"That's understandable, we don't get that many new people here." Sakamoto agreed.

Naruto didn't hear the rest of the conversation, he was too busy thinking about Natsumi, who kept poking her head out from behind her father to look at him. Her actions kinda reminded him of Hinata. Naruto glanced at her, half of her face sticking out from behind Daichi's leg. Once she saw him looking back, she "eep"ed and hid once again. This action confused Naruto. Why would anyone be shy of new people? Naruto was brought back when he felt Sakamoto's hand on his head.

"We had bet get… Sumiko-sama wanted to see Naruto-chan again before dinner. Ja!" Sakamoto then ushered Naruto towards the largest hut in the village.

**---------------**

Sumiko smiled as she listened to Naruto's version of the trip through the village. Sakamoto had already told her what really happened but she rather enjoyed hearing his version. He spoke to her with such joy and enthusiasm. She smiled as he told her about what Isamu and Katsu had done. Sakamoto smirked and sighed as Naruto exaggerated the whole event. This action did not go un-noticed by Sumiko. It was unlike Sakamoto to react like that. This concluded her thoughts, she then noticed Naruto had finished his story. She smiled brightly at the boy.

"It sounds like you enjoyed your first time in the village Naruto." Sumiko smiled again.

"Hai, I did Sumiko-sama. I think I'll like it here… It's nothing like Konoha." Naruto smiled.

"How so?" Asked Sumiko.

"Back in Konoha… everyone hates me." Naruto trailed off.

Sumiko and Sakamoto frowned at this. Though Sakamoto had already known this fact, it still baffled her as to how people could hate this child. From what she could tell, he deserved nothing but love. Sumiko, on the other hand, had an idea as to why Naruto was hated. She had seen the seal on his belly when she had looked him over for wounds earlier. Reaching down beside her, Sumiko held out some new cloths for Naruto. It took him a moment to return from his moment of depression. He looked at the pile of cloth in question.

"While you were out, I had someone get some new cloths for you. You can go change in the back if you want?" Sumiko smiled.

"Arigatou Sumiko-sama!" Naruto took the cloths and went behind one of the deer skin walls.

"That boy has a very unique gift." Sumiko stated, more talking to herself than Sakamoto.

"What do you mean?" the Urufu asked, glancing back to where Naruto had disappeared to.

"You mean you haven't noticed Sakamoto? His gift has affected you, I can tell." Sumiko smiled.

"I don't understand…"

"You've never shown that you cared about anyone or anything, but me. Yet just moments ago, if my eyes aren't mistaken, you showed concern, anger and sadness for that boy."

"Hai, so? What does that have to do with his gift?"

"His gift, Sakamoto, is to turn everyone he meets, despite their interest in him, into a friend. To make them care for him."

Sakamoto's eyes widened in realization.

"That is a powerful gift, but he seems to use it without knowledge. Interesting…"

"Sumiko-sama?"

"Did you find him a place to stay?" Sumiko asked.

"No… I forgot about that…"

"Well then, he'll stay with me."

"No! I mean, umm, you're very busy Sumiko-sama. You can't be burdened with the boy."

"Then where do you suggest?" Sumiko raised an almost invisible eyebrow.

Sakamoto was silent.

"He can stay with you, as long as that's ok with him." Sumiko smiled at the shocked woman.

Before Sakamoto could answer, Naruto returned wearing his new cloths. He wore black pants and a rust red shirt that went down to the middle of his thighs with a black sash around his waist. Naruto was busy adjusting the sash to notice Sakamoto's death glare to the Great Elder. After he found that he liked the knot on his hip, he turned his attention away.

"Domo arigatou Sumiko-sama! I really like these cloths!" Naruto smiled.

"Doumastimaste Naruto. I'm glad you like them. I have found you a place to stay for now." She let Sakamoto finish.

"You'll be staying with me. I have enough room and a spare bed roll." Sakamoto smirked.

"Sugoi!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air.

Both women smiled. Sakamoto quickly bowed to Sumiko, before standing and heading towards the entrance.

"Come one Naruto-chan. Let's get you settled in. Hurry up! We don't have much time before dinner!"

Naruto smiled, bowed to Sumiko and quickly followed.

**---------------**

"It seems the people have taken a liking to him Itachi-san." Kisame turned to his partner.

Itachi remained silent, having observed the blonde boys trip through the village. At that moment, he was grateful for his Sharingan, for it made his eyesight better. He noted to himself that the woman who had become attached to Naruto was someone to stay clear of. The pendant around her neck was proof of that.

"Itachi-san, what do we do now?" Asked Kisame.

"We wait. We must see who we should avoid in order to make Naruto-kun's capture as quick and distraction free as possible." Itachi answered.

"Ok Itachi-san." Kisame sighed.

The blue man really hated waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: You should know this by now but, I'll say it again for the idiots out there. I do not own Naruto or its characters, I do however own the OC's. Thank You.**

**A/N: Sorry about the delay on this chapter but… School is hell! I hate my Desktop Webpage class… My brain turns to mush in Anatomy… And my Art class is retarded! Because of this, I have been unable to inspire myself… until today. Be thankful you readers! Review!**

Ruroushagakure

The sun had begun to set by the time Sakamoto and Naruto reached their hut. Sakamoto's hut was on the other side of the village, a long walk from the main hut. Along the way, Naruto watched as the other villagers carried baskets of fruits and vegetables, trays of dried meat and large jugs of water and wine towards were a bon fire was being lit. When they got past where the chaos was, the walk got boring. Taking a glance to his right, Naruto spotted the twins, Isamu and Katsu. They were walking towards the bon fire carrying small pillows. Naruto made a mental note to ask about that later.

Sakamoto stopped walking, causing a distracted Naruto to bump into her. Glancing down at him, she stepped up to the door flap of the large hut and held it open. Taking her lead, Naruto stepped in. The place was large, but not as large as Sumiko-Sama's hut. Like the other huts in the village, its support beams and frame work was wood while the walls and ceiling were deer skin. What Naruto thought was cool was that Sakamoto's hut wasn't all one room but that she had walls inside, making it more like a house. Also, the place didn't smell like deer, like one would think it would. Instead, it smelled more like a wolfs den. The heavy scent of wolf fur hit his nose. But there was no such fur to be found. Sakamoto placed a hand on his head to get his attention.

"As you can guess, this is my hut."

She pointed to one room. It held a small table surrounded by pillows. "That is where we eat breakfast and lunch."

Then they moved to a room full of scrolls. "This is the scroll room. Ask before you touch any of them."

Then they entered the largest room in the hut. On one side of the room, he saw a bed roll surrounded by two small tables covered with papers and other assorted things. There was a candle holder hanging from the ceiling. On the same side there was a free standing wall. Sakamoto said it was for getting dressed and that made sense. Next to the door, there was a huge trunk. Sakamoto dug through it while Naruto looked around. After a moment, she pulled another bed roll out and set it up on the vacant side of the room. Then she went back to the trunk and began pulling cloths out and sorting them into two piles. After she finished, she handed one of the piles to Naruto.

"Those are my old cloths, they should fit you. You can wear them until we can have Hanako-san make you some." Sakamoto paused, closing the trunk.

Before she could continue, the sound of a gong echoed to them. Sakamoto stood, and walked into the dinning room. While she was gone, Naruto set the pile of cloths on his bed roll. Before he could look at them, Sakamoto returned carrying two pillows. She handed the crimson one to him, keeping the black one for herself.

"This is your seat for dinner." She explained as she left for the bon fire, Naruto in tow.

* * *

Every villager sat around the bon fire, talking and just enjoying themselves. The sun had completely set when food was passed around. Much to Naruto's despair, Sakamoto filed his plate for him. His meal consisted of dried meat, rice and half an orange (Sakamoto took the other half). Then bowls were passed around, with soup served shortly after. Again, Sakamoto got him his food. The soup had a thick broth and an assortment of vegetables floating in it. Naruto begrudgingly ate all of the food on his plate. To his surprise, the vegetable soup tasted great, like several other villagers, he asked for seconds.

After everyone was full, they sat around and talked. From what Sakamoto and Sumiko-Sama had told him, these communal dinners made the bonds within the village stronger, making it more like a giant family.

"See those two fools over there?" Sakamoto asked, pointing towards Daichi and a Hyuuga, both partially drunk on wine.

Naruto nodded.

"Daichi and Taishou have to be the closest friends in this village… but watch out for them when they're drunk. Last time, they tried to kill the bon fire… You can imagine what happened."

Naruto snickered at the thought. It was then he remembered meeting that Hyuuga earlier. Taishou was the head of his clan. The fact that he and Daichi were close friends kinda threw him for a loop.

"What's with that face?" She asked.

"Well, back in Konoha, the Uchiha and the Hyuuga are blood enemies." Naruto stated, eating more of his soup.

"Really?" Asked Daichi with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, but that's only what I heard. No one has seen the hostility lately since what happened to the Uchiha clan…" Naruto trailed off, eating his soup.

That statement caught everyone's attention.

"What happened to our kin in Konoha?" Asked Daichi.

"Hmm… Well, around 8 or 9 years ago, the Uchiha clan was slaughtered, killed off by one of their own. There was one survivor, my friend Sasuke. His brother Itachi, also a survivor, was the one who killed them all."

There was silence.

"And Sasuke's the reason I got kicked out of Konoha."

"How did he do that?" Asked Taishou.

"He defected from Konoha to join Orochimaru, so he could become strong enough to kill Itachi. Me and some other genin were sent to stop him but he escaped anyway. The grand council blamed me for the mission failure and kicked me out."

"Sounds like Konoha's full of big jerks." Stated Isamu.

"Yeah, they sound like idiots to me." Added Katsu.

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"What are the Hyuuga like in Konoha?" Asked Taishou. All of his clan watched Naruto, waiting for his answer.

"Well, they're a bunch of stuck up pricks."

"What do you mean?" Asked Taishou's wife, Naomi.

"They preach about fate and belittle everyone else. If their children aren't skilled enough, they threaten to disown them. Most of the clan members carry a Cage Seal, cuz they're in the branch family. In my true opinion, the Konoha Hyuuga are a bunch of arrogant bastards."

Taishou nodded, "I agree."

"Konoha doesn't sound like it's a good place to live." Stated one of the Kaguya's.

"How were you treated there Naruto?" Asked Hanako.

Naruto delayed his answer. "Badly…"

"How bad?" Asked Sumiko.

"Everyone hated me and no one would let their kids play with me. I had no parents or siblings so I was always alone…"

Isamu and Katsu were surprised that there was someone else like them.

"Why would they treat you like that?" Asked Sakamoto.

"Cause I was always pulling pranks!" He lied.

After hearing that, Isamu and Katsu decided Naruto would have to be their friend, he had no choice in this matter.

The rest of the evening went well. People continued to ask Naruto questions about him and his life in Konoha. There were many moments of laughter. Naruto also learned more about his new home and the people in it. He had only one thought on his mind as he and Sakamoto walked back. And that thought was, _"I'm really gonna like it here."_

* * *

When they got back, Naruto placed his cloths on the ground next to his bed roll. He then lay down. No matter how hard he tried, he could not fall asleep. He currently lay on his side, his back facing Sakamoto. Glancing over his shoulder, he found her awake, a couple candles lit for light. She sat before one of the small tables, working on a scroll. Laying his head back down, he stared at the wall. As he attempted to sleep again, thoughts entered his mind. So many questions. Most pertaining to his future in this village, some to the villagers, and a few to the woman on the other side of the room. He had a feeling that his questions about the village and its inhabitants would be answered with time, but he wanted his questions about Sakamoto answered. Trying to word them so not to get into trouble, he was about to turn over when…

"You're going to be sorry in the morning if you don't get some sleep." She hadn't even looked up from the scroll.

Naruto sighed and rolled onto his back.

"Sakamoto-chan?"

"Hai?"

"Were you born in this village?"

Sakamoto looked up. Setting her ink brush down, she answered.

"Iie, I was not born here…" She trailed off. After a moment, she whispered, "But I wish I was…"

Naruto wondered why she would say that.

"Did something bad happen in your original village?"

"Hai, something very bad."

Hearing the hint of pain and sadness in her voice, much like Sasuke's when he spoke of his family before the battle, he decided to drop the subject.

"Could you sleep your first night here?"

Sakamoto smirked, knowing what he was trying to say.

"Iie, I was awake the entire night."

Sitting up, Naruto asked another question. "Who did you stay with?"

"Sumiko-sama of course. She was the only one willing to take me in. Everyone else was afraid of me… New person phobia I think…"

"They were scared of you because you were new?"

"Well, if you think about it, this village is cut off from the outside world. The only way they learn of anything is from people like you and me, new comers. Everyone here has known everyone else here all their lives. Being so used to knowing everyone would make dealing with new people hard, don't you think?"

She paused so Naruto could absorb what she said. It did make sense.

"Besides, if Sumiko-sama had not been a new comer herself, I wouldn't have been aloud to stay, and in theory, neither would you. Thankfully there's enough new blood here so they're not inbreeding but still, it's a little ridiculous. But this isolation means there's peace here, because we have no alliances and no one knows we exist, we can't get drug into wars and other senseless things. Another bonus is that if we are ever discovered and there's an attempt to destroy us, we have a bit of every clan here. There's no way we can lose. Plus, every clan here knows how to fight perfectly alongside one another, and they train their abilities the best they can. It's really rather genius if you think about it, the village I mean." She then returned to the scroll.

Naruto thought on what Sakamoto had just told him. It took him a moment, or two, but he finally understood why she said the village was genius. All she had said was true, though he had never seen the people in action, he believed what she said. For some unknown reason, he had faith in these strangers. He felt he could trust them, possibly with everything. An image of the gate with the Kyuubi's menacing face behind it entered his mind, he shook his head lightly, ridding himself of the thought. _"Maybe some things,"_ he thought. _"Some things are best left out."_ Sighing, Naruto rolled onto his side, back to Sakamoto, he fell into a restless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Again… I do not own Naruto… Stop accusing me of such luxuries!**

**A/N: Ok, to be honest… I've almost lost interest in this story… that may be in part of my ADD but yeah. I'll do my best to keep this story going… I have a chapter layout for it made up and everything. If it all goes according to plan, there should be 50 chapters and an Epilogue. If you have any advice on focusing on a fanfic, please share… thanks!**

Ruroushagakure

The crickets chirped, playing their night time song. Everyone in the village lay asleep. Sakamoto sighed as she continued to write on the scroll in front of her. Naruto had fallen asleep about an hour ago, leaving Sakamoto alone with only her thoughts for company. Sakamoto had known from young age that the human mind was a scary place, but one couldn't call her clan human. Her mind was a dangerous place, even for herself. A dark beast lay underneath her human skin, just waiting to be released. What kept it contained was the pendent on her choker. One side of the silver disk was blank, resembling a full moon, but on the side touching her skin, there was a design. A wolf's paw print.

Setting her ink brush down, she grasped the pendent lightly, the feel of the silver stinging to her fingertips. Pulling it off her skin, she found a burn, the same shape as the design. She placed the disk back. The paw print was her clans' true emblem. The burn did not hurt her, she barely even felt it anymore. She had been wearing that choker since she was a newborn, she had become accustomed to the pain it brought. If one were to look at Sakamoto, they would never guess that she was deathly allergic to silver, or that she loved the taste of raw meat. They would never guess she came from a family of monsters.

_Blood drenched the landscape, painting the buildings red. Bodies lay strewn in the streets. The scent of death was heavy in the air, over powering the stench of the blood. As the clouds parted, a beam of light shown through from the bright full moon that was hidden. This light illuminated the gory scene, showing the truth to this situation. The bodies that lay dead were not of humans, but of beasts. They were large, all muscle, and tall, the tallest was over 9ft. They were covered in a very thin layer of fur, their skin showing through it. A streak of thick fur ran from their foreheads, down along their spines and sprouted on their long tails. Large hands were bound by shimmering claws, the size of knives. Their snouts were canine like, with mouths filled with uneven, jagged teeth. Some were ripped open, others were decapitated, the rest were stabbed full of silver. A distant cry reached her elongated ears, the cry was of burning pain and on coming death. It was the cry of her mother…_

Sakamoto shook her head violently, trying to rid herself of the memory. Sighing again, she whipped her brush clean and put the ink jar away, before standing. She started to walk towards the front of the hut, glancing at Naruto over her shoulder. As she watched him, Sumiko's words returned to her. "_His gift… is to turn everyone he meets, despite their interest in him, into a friend. To make them care for him"_ It was then she realized what Sumiko had meant. She had unknowingly let down her walls and had become attached to this boy. She had promised herself, when her clan was destroyed, that she would never attach herself to any one again. In her mind, faith and trust were different than attachment. That was the only reason she tolerated Sumiko, she trusted the woman. But she neither had faith in or trusted Naruto, she cared for him. She sighed again, needing to feel the rays of the moon on her skin. She left.

* * *

A cool night breeze filtered through the tree tops, rustling the leaves in its wake. The breeze tussled Sakamoto's long ebony hair around her, the multitude of tribal beads that were burned onto the strands sparkled in the light of the half moon. Gently placing the strands in her face back behind her ears, Sakamoto sighed in contentment. The comfort night brought her was unlike any human could bring. In the light of the moon, her once pale and flawless skin revealed its secrets. Scars, just as pale as the skin around them, glistened. On her face alone, six scars could be seen. Opening her eyes, they were found to be a different color. Her once grey eyes were not gold, with slit pupils. The golden irises reflected the moon light, making her eye shine. Looking to the half complete orb, she sat in silence.

Images raced in front of Sakamoto's changed eyes. All of the past. Memories of her mother, whom she had held dear. Her father, who she respected. And Itsuwaru, who she had loved so much. Itsuwaru was the reason she had built walls around herself. He was the reason she was alone. After his betrayal, she had promised herself to never feel anything for another person again. And for 64 years, she had succeeded, until now. The boy, Naruto had somehow broken down her carefully constructed barriers and had gotten to her. She didn't truly understand how he did it, but Sumiko's explanation seemed to be the only rational one.

Sakamoto brought a clawed hand up to her neck and rubbed it lightly while she rocked her head back and forth, there by eliminating the kinks that had developed. Though Sakamoto looked to be about 25, she was actually much older. Unlike humans, her clan aged more like dogs. Every seven years she would age one year. In human years, she was 175. This fact did not bother her. Though she knew she would outlive any one she trusted, she knew more people would come along and eventually she would meet her fate, just like everyone else, and succumb to the eternal sleep.

Before, she had never had a problem with outliving those around her, but now she did. Again, her thoughts drifted to Naruto. Like Sumiko, Sakamoto had seen the seal on his stomach. Also, she had smelt the scent of the great fox demon on the boy, the stench covered his own natural scent. When Naruto had spoken of how he was treated in Konoha, she had felt a pang in her heart. So much hatred, so much pain. No one deserved to face the brunt of that alone. Even though he had mentioned he had eventually made friends, it seemed to her that they did nothing in his defense to keep him in Konoha.

"_Some friends…" _She thought. Though she had no room to talk, she had never had friends before. She shook her head to rid herself of more memories that wished to surface. A strong gust of wind blew through the trees, disturbing her ebony hair again. Taking in a deep breath, the scent of the forest heavy in her nose, she sighed. Her eyelids felt heavy. Finally deciding she could sleep, she leapt down from her perch at the top of the red wood and returned to the village.

When she entered back into her hut, she found Naruto still asleep. But something was off… he was drenched in sweat. Silently walking over to him, she placed the back of her hand to his forehead. Finding he had no fever, she became perplexed. That was until he began to thrash around, mumbling incoherently. Most of what he said sounded something like "leave me…" and "Don't hurt me…" Sakamoto sighed, he was having a nightmare. Brushing his bangs from his face, where his sweat had glued them, she began to hum from deep in her chest, a sort of purr. The vibrations passed through her arm and hand, into him. The feeling calmed him. His thrashing stopped and so did his mumbling.

Giving a faint smile, she returned to her bed roll. Pulling the thin sheet out of the way, she laid down. Many thoughts prevented her from sleeping this night, and by the sounds of the insects, she could tell it was almost 2 in the morning. Sighing, she placed a forced jutsu on herself and she drifted off into a dreamless abyss. At this, she was relieved.

* * *

Naruto was brought back into the conscious world by someone shoving his shoulder gently. Looking up, he found Sakamoto leaning over him. Nodding to her that he was awake, her form retreated. Rubbing his eyes, he rose to a sitting position and stretched. After yawning once, he glanced around. From the small gaps between the pelts and wood, he could tell it was either before dawn or a little after. Rubbing his eyes again, he looked for Sakamoto. He heard rustling noises from the next room over and determined that she was in there.

Quickly sorting through the cloths Sakamoto had given him, he found something to wear. He changed behind the free standing wall and was now dressed in a black tunic like shirt, a crimson sash around his waist and a pair of black pants. True to Sakamoto's word, they fit. Stretching again, he took to the small hallway. Glancing into the Scroll Room, he found he was right. Sakamoto was squatted in front of a pile of scrolls. He wondered what she was looking for but didn't ask. Instead, his stomach spoke for him. The low growl caught Sakamoto's attention. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she smiled.

"There's some fruit and dried meat on the table in the dining area. I figured you would be hungry."

A little taken back by this, Naruto hesitated in his answer. "Ok… Arigatou…"

Again, Sakamoto was true to her word. Sitting on the small table was a plate of sliced fruit and dried meat. Seating himself on his pillow, he ate. The fruit was really juicy and tasted very sweet. He liked it. The dried meat tasted the same as the meat that he ate for dinner the night before, but he ate it anyway. While he ate his breakfast, Sakamoto entered carrying a medium sized scroll. Stealing a piece of meat from Naruto's plate, she set the scroll down. Walking over to the large jar in the corner, she opened it. Pulling a clay mug from the box next to the jug, she dunked it to get some of the wine that was in the large container. Sakamoto sighed and rubbed the crook of her neck as she drank it.

Naruto took this moment to truly take in Sakamoto's appearance. The day before had been so hectic, he hadn't had a chance to. His first impression of her this morning was that she was tired… scratch that, exhausted. The dark purple bags under her eyes were enough to support his claim. Not that he thought she wasn't pretty, in fact, she was actually very beautiful. He also noted that she appeared much older than he originally thought she was. Yesterday, Naruto thought she was somewhere in her 20's, but now that he had a chance to really see her, he changed his opinion. In truth, she looked much older. And it wasn't just because of the bags under her eyes. It was her presence, it just felt old. Naruto then noticed all the beads that were strewn in her jet black hair. They were all different colors, mostly dark ones though. That was probably why he hadn't noticed them before. All in all, Sakamoto was a lot different now that she had been the day before, at least to Naruto she was.

Feeling his gaze on her, she glanced at him. Finding Naruto studying her, Sakamoto smirked behind the rim of the mug. It wasn't the first time she had caught someone staring at her. Back in her original village, she found everyone staring at her, but it wasn't always due to her beauty. Finishing her mug of wine, she rinsed the cup and placed it back in the box. Her sudden movement had joggled Naruto out of his thought train. Finishing his last piece of meat, he stood to take care of his plate. Before he could do anything, Sakamoto had grabbed his plate and set it with the other ones in the corner. As he recovered from her speedy movement, she grabbed her scroll again and began heading towards the exit.

"Are you coming Naruto?" She called as she stood, holding the door flap open.

"Hai! Gomen!" Naruto quickly rushed out the exit, stopping about a yard from it.

Sakamoto joined him a moment later.

"I'm going to be with Sumiko-Sama and several of the clan heads most of the day. While I'm doing that, you're gonna be attending lessons with the other kids your age, like Natsumi, Isamu and Katsu. Now, I know you probably already know what Daichi-san is teaching but I can't baby-sit you. So deal with it!"

Naruto only nodded.

They walked towards the center of the village. To Naruto's surprise, everyone else was also awake. It was just after dawn when they reached the entrance to Sumiko-Sama's hut. Before entering, Sakamoto turned back and glanced around the center of the village. Spotting the person she was looking for, she waved them to her. Naruto glanced to see Natsumi walking towards them. Her father was busy talking with Taishou about the meeting that he would miss that day. Today, Natsumi bore the same hair, and she seemed less fearful of Naruto. She wore a light blue tunic, a lavender sash and light blue pants. She walked toward them, her arms crossed behind her back.

"You wanted to see me Sakamoto-san?" Natsumi asked in a hushed voice.

"Hai, I did. I would really appreciate it if you would show Naruto where your father holds lessons. I can't do it myself due to the council meeting." Sakamoto asked.

Natsumi thought a moment, glancing at Naruto several times. Then, she nodded her answer.

"Arigatou Natsumi-chan." With that said, Sakamoto disappeared into the hut.

"Let's go…" Naruto barely heard Natsumi say this.

Naruto followed Natsumi and Daichi-san out of the village and to a clearing near a large stream that provided the village with water. The other kids he had met the day before were already there, even the twins. Natsumi drifted into the crowd upon arrival. Naruto stayed close to the trees, not to confident himself in this situation. He had a feeling that he was better than these kids, but he didn't want to show off. He was still unsure of the villages' opinion of him and he didn't want to do anything that would get him banished, again. He barely listened as Daichi explained what they had been working on. After about 15 minutes, Daichi finally finished his lecture. The other kids stood, anxious as to what they would be learning this day.

"Today," Daichi started. "we're going to be tree climbing."

Naruto snickered, while the other kids looked confused.

**A/N pt2: Yeah, I know. I updated twice in close succession. Big deal! I was just so inspired to write. The begining part with Sakamoto hit me like a ton of anvils. This is what I figure, she's one of the main characters in this, so you need to know some of her story. This provides a sneak peak into her past, which trust me, is really interseting. If you haven't guessed what her clan was made up of, then you're an idiot. I laid big fat clues out for you, if you didn't catch them, don't blame me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I hope you reivew... You had better review! Review damnit!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Again... you idiots neglect to understand that Naruto isn't mine! **

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update... Yoshiro was giving me problems, school is turning into hell and I have a short attention span... That explains it all. I hope you enjoy! Please review!**

Ruroushagakure

The kids stared at Daichi in confusion. He was going to teach them how to climb trees? They began to whisper amongst themselves while Daichi took in their reactions. As he glanced around his students, he noticed only one who wasn't confused, and that one was Naruto. Instead of confusion, he found a smirk on Naruto's face. This did not surprise Daichi, he had assumed since Naruto came from a ninja village, that he had already done this exercise. Sighing, he decided it was time to show the kids what he meant.

"Gomen, I didn't clarify myself. I meant tree climbing but there's one thing I didn't mention." Daichi smirked. "You can't use your hands."

Naruto laughed to himself at the other kids reactions.

* * *

Thuds and groans of pain resounded through the training clearing. It had been about 15 minutes since Daichi had let the kids start trying to tree climb. So far… no one was past 5 ft. Naruto leaned against an unused tree, watching with amusement on his face. He remembered when his team had done the tree climbing exercise. It took him all day to get to the top. Naruto brought himself out of memories when the kid closest to him fell again, having only run up about 4½ ft. Smirking, he surveyed the other kids. Some had passed the 5ft mark, while others were doing worse than the kid near him. Naruto's gaze then found Daichi as he instructed some of the kids that were lagging behind. After the previous night, Naruto now could only see a physical resemblance between the Uchiha of this village and his lost friend. Daichi and Natsumi were examples of this. Naruto had only heard things about the late clan leader, Sasuke's father. What he had heard had never been good. He had been told that Fugaku had been strict and focused. He concerned himself with the strength of his clan and not his people. 

Daichi on the other hand was also strict and focused, but in a good way. Also, he was concerned with his clan's strength but only slightly. He was more focused on his relatives then what they could do, and that was most apparent when he was coaching Natsumi, who was currently lagging behind. Daichi was respectful of his daughters' feelings towards this and did his best to assert the problem she was having. He was not the least bit harsh or forceful as he told her how to correct her problem. From what he had heard from Sasuke, his father was never like that. Naruto was pulled from his thoughts as Daichi began to approach him. He noted that Daichi's appearance was much different than when they had met yesterday. While he still wore navy blue, his shoulder length hair was pulled back, tied at the nape of his neck.

"You look bored over here Naruto." Daichi stated in his deep voice, with a hint of amusement.

"Yeah… But its fun to watch them fall." Naruto jokingly added.

"I agree." Daichi and Naruto shared a laugh.

"Well, I may have an idea of something you could do…" Daichi trailed off.

"Oh?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

Daichi pointed towards the stream. To Naruto's surprise, he noticed more kids over there. He wondered why he hadn't noticed them before.

"See the one sitting on the log?" Daichi asked.

Naruto looked until he spotted an older looking boy with faded hair sitting alone on a log, watching the other kids tree climb.

"That's Yoshiro, he's a lot older than the kids here and has already finished my lessons. He only sticks around to keep his siblings in line. You might go and see if he's willing to spar. I'm sure he won't mind." Daichi said with a smile.

"Ok, sounds like fun." Naruto replied with a smile before heading towards the young man.

* * *

Yoshiro sighed, hearing another of his siblings fall and gripe about how they were pushed off the tree. As this continued he rubbed his temples slowly. Opening his burgundy eyes, he glanced around. Most of his siblings were attempting the tree climbing exercise while the youngest two made mud castles on the bank of the stream. Turning his attention back to the tree climbers, he noticed that Kairin had pushed her twin brother Taiven off his tree as he ran up it. Rolling his eyes, he sighed and rubbed his temples again. After a moment, he stretched, having been sitting too long, and ran his fingers through his faded hair. What Yoshiro found interesting about himself was that people were awed by his long hair. The roots of it were black and faded to white ends. He would just roll his eyes at them and continue on. 

Yoshiro wasn't a bulky teen, he was lean and slightly muscled. He wore a loose, partially open harori and baggy gi pants, both grey in color. He had pale skin, despite his life in the sun, which still confused him. He had been told many times that he was very handsome, mostly by the older woman of the village, but he honestly didn't see it. Fortunately, if he was indeed handsome, he had no girls chasing him… Scratch that, he had one. Kinen Teeya, granddaughter of Kinen Sumiko, village headmen. Teeya chased him for some unknown reason, like a child with a crush. Yoshiro would never learn how she followed him without loosing him, despite her vision problems. Sighing again, he resumed his previous position, the "thinking man" pose. That was until he felt someone coming close. He opened his eyes again and turned where he met the bright blue eyes of a blonde haired boy.

* * *

Naruto stood silent and though his face didn't show it, he was partially horrified. He had come over like Daichi had told him to, to ask Yoshiro to spar. When he got close, the boy he presumed to be said person looked up and at him. Now, Naruto found himself starring at another partially familiar face. Aside from the eye and hair color this teen resembled Kimimaro of the sound. Even his facial markings were the same red color. After a moment, Naruto over came this shock and diverted his eyes. Regaining his courage, he spoke. 

"Are you Yoshiro?"

The teen looked at him a moment.

"Yes and who are you? I've never seen you around the village before." Yoshiro's voice wasn't deep but somewhere close.

"I'm Naruto, I just got here yesterday."

Yoshiro smiled. "So you're the new kids my siblings were talking about."

Naruto just stared.

"It's nice to meet you Naruto, what brings you over here?" Yoshiro asked in a kind voice.

"Daichi-san said I should ask you to spar."

Yoshiro had a look of surprise on his face. "He what?"

"Told me to ask you to spar… Since I'm from a ninja village I already know what he's going to teach."

Yoshiro smiled in understanding.

"You're from a ninja village huh? Well then that makes sense."

Yoshiro stood, he was a few feet taller than Naruto with his faded hair reaching the lumbar of his back. Yoshiro pointed to the stream over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Let's see what you can do Naruto." Yoshiro smiled.

"Yeah." Naruto laughed, he already seemed to like Yoshiro.

Yoshiro and Naruto made their way over to the stream and water walked to the middle of it. Yoshiro took a familiar stance, one he had seen Kimimaro take in their fight. Naruto took his usual stance. As they waited for the other to move, all of Yoshiro's siblings stopped what they were doing in favor to watch their oldest brother spar. They sat in age order near the shore of the stream, their burgundy eyes wide. Daichi too had turned his attention to the spar that was about to begin. Yoshiro was the first to move, charging at Naruto, his Humorous sprouting from his shoulder.

**

* * *

A/N: I can't write fight scenes ok? I've tried before and they suck! So, unless you want to write this fight for me, we are skipping to after the fight. Use your imagination people, that's what it's there for! Thanks!

* * *

**

"Enough you two! It's time to take a break for lunch!" Daichi shouted at Yoshiro and Naruto, who were charging at each other. Both stopped mid-charge and looked up at him, then at the other before finally smiling. They both walked back to dry land and began to survey their wounds. Naruto had a few bruises and some cuts, from Yoshiro's bone sword, and some pulled muscles. Yoshiro had many large bruises forming and a shattered Humorous, Naruto had snapped his sword with his Rasengan, which had caught everyone off guard. As they checked themselves over, everyone in their audience began cheering and shouting. Sometime during their spar, every kid there had stopped training in favor to watch. As everyone began to head back to the village for a quick lunch, Yoshiro approached Naruto, his siblings following him.

"I'll admit, you're good. You shattered my bone sword, no one's done that yet." He stated with a smile.

"Yeah well, nothing big." Naruto smiled, his hands behind his head.

"We should spar again sometime, I think a rematch is in order." Yoshiro's siblings grunted in agreement.

"I agree." Naruto nodded.

"Onee-san, did he beat you?" asked one of Yoshiro's younger siblings.

Yoshiro smiled. "Not really, it's more of a tie since Daichi san stopped the spar."

Yoshiro's siblings smiled warming and began shouting that their brother would beat Naruto in that rematch.

"Excuse them, they think to highly of me." Then Yoshiro's eyes widened. "You haven't met them have you Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Line up!"

Yoshiro's siblings lined up, according to age. Naruto surveyed them as they put themselves in their line. All had the same burgundy eyes, pale skin and thin builds, their hair was different. They all had the same range of hair color, some faded, some not, and all varied in length.

"Starting from the left we have Daemon and his twin sister Aki," The twins bowed.

"Next we have Zeb and Ria," Zeb was the only child who was slightly over weight, he waved while Ria bowed.

"Another set of twins, Kairin and Taiven," They smile mischievously.

"Next is Hatori," She smiled warmly.

"Last pair of twins, Thoren and Matt," They gave Naruto a thumbs up.

"Next, Chadly," He nodded.

"And finally, Tsuyo and Yasu." They stared at Naruto.

"Those are my 12 siblings, with me, that makes 13 kids." Yoshiro pointed out boringly.

"Wow." Was all Naruto could say.

Naruto and Yoshiro continued to talk as they walked back up to the clearing. Their conversation ended when they heard Daichi yelling at Isamu and Katsu for something they had done. Naruto glanced over and spotted Natsumi leaning against a tree, apparently waiting for her father. She perked up when she spotted Yoshiro but shied away when she spotted Naruto. After a moment, Yoshiro stated that he and his siblings were heading back.

"See ya around Yoshiro." Naruto stated with a smile.

"Call me Onee-san and yeah, see ya Naruto." Yoshiro and his siblings disappeared into the tree line.

Naruto smiled as he too began to head back. Daichi caught him before he could get to far though.

"I'm quite impressed Naruto, I had no idea how good you are." He complimented.

"It's no big, I'm not that good." Naruto assured.

Daichi just nodded and turned his attention away. Naruto again began to leave when this time, it was Natsumi who stopped him. She stood, half hidden by a tree, her arms crossed behind her as usual. Her cobalt eyes stared at the ground as she slowly stepped out from behind the tree.

"You're a great fighter Naruto… I really enjoyed watching you spar with Yoshiro-kun." She never looked up as she spoke. Unlike other times when she had spoken to him, she did not whisper. Her voice was still soft but it was louder, conversation volume. Naruto just smiled.

"Thanks Natsumi-chan."

Natsumi looked up with a tiny blush at Naruto's nickname for her. He just smiled and walked back to the village, to eat and prepare for his rematch with Yoshiro Kaguya.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Again… I don't own Naruto! Thank You!**

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update… There's been a lot going on. With the new semester come so many new problems. I'm already falling behind in Sociology and AM Government, and my Anatomy class is dissecting cats… I'm lost! Also, in regards to the many reviews criticizing Yoshiro's fighting abilities… screw you guys! **

Roroushagakure

It had been three months since Naruto had first awoken in the primitive village, and he already felt at home. Sakamoto's somewhat open feelings towards him helped him get settled initially. And her sudden mood swings forced him to find others to seek shelter with. The twins were two of the people in the village he considered friends. They were often the cause of Sakamoto's sudden rage so, logically, they should offer him protection. Though, Naruto would be the first to admit that the twins weren't the best protectors since at the first sign of danger, they ran, tails between their legs. Usually, Naruto would laugh as they retreated, but sometimes he would be forced to run as well, due to Sakamoto's rage.

Another person he called friend was Natsumi. Despite her initial shyness towards him, after about two weeks, she slowly started to come out of her shell. Though she was naturally soft spoken, her mood was much different. At times, she remained shy and timid, only observing those around her and trying to prevent violence between her friends. Other times, she was rather outspoken and blunt, her normal demeanor kind of reminded him of Sakura-chan, only less violent.

Finally, there was Aniki Yoshiro. Naruto was hesitant to call him that at first, but Yoshiro told him repeatedly that he didn't mind. That all the kids younger than him could call him that, though the twins preferred less than ugly names and Natsumi merely called him Yoshiro-kun. Despite the age difference, he and Aniki got along well. Their preferred method of bonding was though sparring, to which their friends and Yoshiro's siblings would watch and cheer. Their matches always ended in stalemates, much to everyone's disappointment, but Naruto and Yoshiro didn't care. They were only sparring for fun.

His new circle of friends was really different then the one he had back in Konoha, a lot different. Though the name calling was a permanent fixture in all of his friendships, Naruto felt that the friends he had made in the village were somehow better than the ones in Konoha. _Perhaps, _he thought, _it's because they don't know about "it" or have any ill feelings towards "it". _That seemed like a good conclusion to him. No matter the reason, Naruto knew he would keep close to these friends, hopefully for a long time.

* * *

It was a beautiful fall day, if Naruto remembered, it was probably close to October. This meant it was almost his 13th birthday. He cringed at the thought, his birthday wasn't the happiest day. He was always treated worse on that day. Shaking his head slightly, trying to clear out the negative thoughts of his past. Glancing at the three kids walking with him, he silently hoped that, for once, his birthday would be something special. He would have continued that thought but he was not so nicely introduced to the hard earth of the worn path they had been walking. Isamu stood over him, smirking.

"That's what you get for not listening to me Naruto!" He shouted.

"Isamu, that wasn't nice… Apologize to Naruto!" Shouted Natsumi, her fists clenched.

Isamu coward behind Katsu, hoping his twin would protect him from the young Uchiha heiress' wrath. Sadly, he was out of luck. Katsu soon left Isamu cowering in favor to help Naruto up.

"You ok? You were spacing out there, lost in thought?" Katsu asked, completely ignoring his brothers' pleas for help as he was beaten by Natsumi.

"I guess, I'm not one to get lost in thought but I do it from time to time." Smirked Naruto as he rubbed the back of his head, where Isamu had hit him.

Katsu knew there was more to it, but he let it drop in favor of assisting his twin in nursing his wounds, he nodded. Naruto watched with a smile as his friends interacted. He felt so happy to have them. Once Isamu could walk again, they began their trip back to the village. They had spent the morning sparring in a clearing about a 10 minute walk away from the village, near the bank of the river. Near lunch time, they decided that they would head back and eat at Natsumi's house, since not only was her house bigger, but she had more food and her parents didn't mind, unlike Sakamoto-san.

They continued their walk, talking and laughing amongst themselves, completely unaware they were being followed by two S-class missing-nins.

* * *

Itachi and Kisame trailed silently behind the group of preteens, eyeing their target. They followed close behind them, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and capture the blonde haired boy. Noticing how close to the village they were getting, Itachi gave Kisame the signal. They didn't want to get too close to the village, or the villagers would surely attack them to defend the children. Kisame, showing he understood, made the attack five minutes from the village.

Itachi and Kisame dropped in behind the small group, allowing a bit of their chakra to leak, getting the children's attention. Kisame smirked as they turned, shock and fear in their eyes. Resting one hand on the hilt of Samehada, he waited for Itachi to try to reason with their blonde haired target.

* * *

Naruto had the feeling something was gonna happen, the one you get in the pit of your stomach. He was about to voice this feeling to his friends when they all froze. A pair of chakras filled with killer intent washed over them. They slowly turned their gazes to where they felt the chakras coming from. There, standing behind them, were two men in black cloaks with red clouds. Naruto stared in shock, they had found him.

Natsumi, Isamu and Katsu had no idea who these two men were. The first was tall, and carried a huge sword on his back. He also had blue skin and yellow beady eyes. The other was short and had black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Most of his face was concealed behind the neckband of his cloak. Whoever these two were, they knew they were strong and that they were scared.

"Naruto-kun, please come with us." Itachi spoke emotionlessly.

The twins and Natsumi turned their gazes to Naruto. He knew these two?

"No, I'll never go with you." Naruto answered, his voice quivering.

"We don't wish to use violence Naruto-kun, please give in and come with us." Itachi spoke again.

Naruto shook his head furiously, "I'll never go with you!"

"If you will not come willingly, Kisame will make you." Itachi spoke while Kisame raised his Samehada high in the air.

Kisame brought Samehada down and began pointing its wrapped tip at the children.

"Who should I take care of first Itachi-san?"

"Naruto-kun, one last chance."

"No!"

"So be it," Itachi paused. "Kisame, take care of his three friends first."

"Ok Itachi-san!" Kisame raised his sword, ready to bring it down on them.

Natsumi, who was standing closest to Kisame, was his first choice to attack. She closed her eyes, arms raised to protect herself, she waited for the attack, but it never came. Instead, she was shoved out of the way. Skidding to a stop, she looked to see that Naruto had taken the hit for her. The twins moved to protect Naruto while he recovered. She stared in shock as he began to shakily stand. Raising his eyes to her, he shouted to her an order she had not choice but to follow.

"Natsumi-chan, run back to the village and get help…"

"But Naruto you…"

"Go now!" He shouted.

Deciding it was best to listen, she stood and ran. She looked back only once, and what she saw urged her to run faster. Naruto had shoved the twins out of the way of another devastating attack. Naruto hit the ground hard, the twins in the same state of shock she was in. Looking back ahead of herself, she rushed onward.

* * *

Sakamoto sat lazily in a tree above her home, half asleep. This was the closest to a nap she would get on this day. As she sat, an unfamiliar mixture of scents hit her nose on the breeze. Scrunching up her face, she tried to decipher what the smells were. After a moment, she gave up and returned to resting. A few moments more, that's all that she got. Her ear twitched, someone was running towards their village. Curious as to who it was, Sakamoto left the comfort of her tree branch and walked towards the village square.

* * *

Natsumi didn't slow down when she spotted the fence around the village, she just kept going. Rushing to her home, she looked for her father. Not seeing him, she then ran to the center of the village. If he was anywhere, he was there. She didn't want to bother Elder Sumiko with what was occurring, but she also wasn't too comfortable approaching Sakamoto-san. Deciding her father was the best person to find in this situation, she searched for him frantically. Asking several people where he was, she soon found him talking with Taisho-san. Completely disregarding the manners she had been taught, and waiting for their conversation to end, she rushed up to him in a panic.

"Tou-san!"

"Just a moment Natsumi, I'm talking."

"Tou-san! It's important!"

"Just a moment."

"Tou-san! My friends and I were attacked!"

"Just a… What!?"

"We were attacked on our way back by these two really strong guys." Natsumi spoke as she tried to calm down.

"Where are Naruto and the twins? Weren't they with you this morning?" Asked Daichi, slowly becoming as panicked as his daughter.

"They twins are trying to protect Naruto. He's the one who told me to run here and get help. We have to hurry Tou-san!" Natsumi grabbed her father's sleeve and tried to pull him towards her friends.

"Why are the twins protecting Naruto?" Asked Daichi, trying to understand the situation.

"Cuz the two men are after Naruto!" Natsumi shouted.

"What?!" Shouted Sakamoto as she came closer.

"We have to hurry! When Naruto told me to get help, one of the guys was beating him up!" Natsumi shouted.

Daichi turned to Taisho. "Go tell my clan to meet at the gate in less than a minute."

"Of course." Taisho rushed to the Uchiha compound.

"Lets go Natsumi." Daichi began to walk towards the main path.

"I'm coming too." Sakamoto ordered.

Daichi nodded, following Natsumi to the gate.

At the gate, the entirety of the Uchiha had gathered, as ordered. Natsumi told them the situation, Once that was explained the turned to leave.

"You're not doing this without me Natsumi-chan." Spoke Yoshiro as he too, joined the rescue party.

* * *

Naruto tumbled to the ground, yet again. His body was sore, blood trickled from his mouth. Shakily, he tried to stand again, only to be hit once more. Off a little ways, the twins lay, bound down by an earth jutsu. They watched helplessly as their closest friend was beaten again and again. Itachi watched silently, deciding it was better to weaken their target. He allowed Kisame to continue his relentless attacks on the boy who refused to stay down. Glancing down the warn path, Itachi pondered if letting the young girl escape was a wise decision, but he didn't let it bother him. He just had the feeling that that decision was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

"This time, you're gonna stay down." Kisame spoke as he raised Samehada yet again to strike the boy.

Naruto didn't have the strength to attempt to block the oncoming move, so he lay and waited. But the attack never came. Instead, Naruto felt a strong breeze above him, and heard a strangled cry from Kisame. Opening the eye that wasn't swollen, Naruto saw nothing but fur, rust red fur. Soon, a loud crash was heard as Kisame was forced back, his sword ripped from his grasp and launched at a tree. Whatever was battling the shark man remained standing above him. His vision clearing up a little, he could see paws bigger than his head with claws longer than his hand, resting inches from his face. Then the shocked shouts of the twins reached his ears.

"Gawdma?" They both asked at once.

Before Naruto could question the sudden appearance of the gigantic Onibaneko, more voices reached him. But he couldn't keep his eye open long enough to see who it was. Silently, Naruto blacked out.

**A/N: Hola! Como estas? Yes, I'm aware I was typing in Spanish, but it's so much fun! Anyway, I hope you're happy, I've posted another chapter. Though I did leave it at a bit of a cliff hanger, oh well. Just be happy I posted. Oh the simple pleasures in life. Well, I have nothing clever to say here, except one thing… Deidara is incomplete! In the Naruto: Shippuuden thing… he doesn't say "Un"! Life has lost all meaning! Where has the "Un" gone!? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, there's my rant for today. Enjoy the story and review. **

**Oh, and to the person who keep leaving me the long lists of Jutsu as reviews… stop it. I have access to Wikipedia and I can get the lists of jutsu, I don't need them sent in extremely long reviews of pointlessness. If you do it again, I shall hunt you down and beat you with a shoe. **

**And to those of you who commented that Yoshiro can't fight using his clan's style. Heh… You're dorkwads. I stated in the last chapter that I can't write fight scenes. That's why you don't see any of Yoshiro's attacks. If you didn't read that little note in the middle of the chapter, then you need to stop reading fanfics. To fill you in, Yoshiro is very skilled in his clan jutsu. He's probably close to where Kimimaro was when he died. sob I love you Kimimaro-kun! **

**Anyway, that's it for me. It's 11:32 Sunday night… I need to sleep since I have Anatomy tomorrow… oh joy!**

**Remember to review and what not. Have fun! **

**Ja!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… but I wish I did… If I did, there would be a lot more action, blood, explosions and Itachi in red leather… Yes, a lot more of that last one… teehee…**

**A/N: Hola! Again with the Spanish I know. Anyway, I visited heaven March 3rd. What a marvelous place it was. I was dressed as Orochimaru and had a Kabuto following me. I glomped others in costume and was glomped myself. I bought an Akatsuki cloak, an Itachi weasel plushie and a drawing of Sesshomaru as a Care Bear. Yes, I went to an anime convention. Naka kon! Held in Kansas City, MO. It was amazing! Next year, I plan to go the whole convention (Friday to Sunday). It's gonna be amazing! If you all wanna see the pics I took, look up the album sessfluff on Photobucket. They'll be under a sub album called Naka Kon. It was fun being Orochimaru. I scared more than one person and most Sasuke cosplayers ran from me. The sound ninja came to me, and obeyed my orders. I was the only Orochimaru there, which was a bonus. For those of you who did go, I was the Orochimaru in the wheel chair. If you saw, glomped, or took a pic of me… good for you! I plan to go as Orochimaru again next year… but I might have the most awesome costume ever as well… Can't tell you though. Teehee!**

Ruroushagakure

Stiffness was the first thing that greeted Naruto's newly woken mind. His entire body was stiff and some places, sore. Wondering why the Kyuubi had not fully healed him yet and how long he had been out, he tried to grasp his situation. The last thing he remembered was being ruthlessly attacked by that Akatsuki guy, Kisame. Then the color rust, and then, nothing. What had happened? His senses began to return to him, Naruto could hear people talking around him. From what he could tell without opening his eyes, there was only one person near him. The other voices sounded far off. The voice closest to him sounded like Sakamoto's but he couldn't tell for sure when screaming began to erupt from one of the others around him. After the screaming stopped, Naruto felt a hand on top of his head, gently rubbing him.

"Time to wake up sleepy head, you've rested long enough."

The voice was definitely Sakamoto. The hand continued to pet his head as he tried to open his eyes. At first, everything was fuzzy, he blinked a few times to clear up his vision. When everything came into focus, he found himself staring into Sakamoto's grey eyes. She gave him a concerned look and helped him sit up. Once he was up right, Naruto surveyed where he was and who was there. Judging from the red and white fans on the walls of the hut, he deduced he was in a house of the Uchiha cluster. Looking over at the others, he found the source of the screams. One of the Uchiha's, and elder by appearance, was tending to Isamu's wounds. Apparently they hurt a lot. Katsu stood next to his twin, eyes closed and head shaking. Natsumi sat with her mother, Hanako. Daichi was speaking with Elder Sumiko off in the far end of the hut. Yoshiro sat near Natsumi, eyes closed in thought.

What Naruto saw next was nothing but red, rust red. His vision was blocked by a wall of fur. Next he felt his head being cradled by a paw twice its size and a tongue as long as his torso licking his face. Then his eyes were met with a pair of acid green, slit pupiled, eyes. A wet nose touched his own warm nose. After a moment, Naruto registered that it was Gawdma he was looking at. He smiled to the giant creature before petting her snout gently. Gawdma made a sound that resembled a purr before deciding that laying down was a better idea. With a thud, her massive frame went from sitting to lying on her belly, tail wrapping around Naruto. The loud thud alerted everyone that Naruto was awake as they all looked to him.

"How are you feeling Naruto?" Asked Hanako with motherly concern.

"Stiff, but otherwise, I feel fine." Naruto paused. "What happened while I was out? Where did those two Akatsuki go?"

"If you're referring to those two men, we scarred them off." Daichi answered.

"How?"

/Flash back/

_Daichi and the rescue party had arrived only moments after Gawdma had and just after Naruto had lost consciousness. What they saw was shocking. The twins were bound by a Doton jutsu. Gawdma was holding the two men at bay, protecting Naruto by standing over him. A large sword protruded from a tree off in the distance. The blue skinned man looked pissed while the black haired man was emotionless. Placing themselves on either side of Gawdma, they got into their fighting poses. While the adults prepared to save Naruto, Natsumi rushed over to the twins and began to chip at the earth that bound their limbs. _

_A staring match had begun between the two parties, neither side had the upper hand. _

"_What do you want with Naruto?" Sakamoto demanded._

"_Our business with the boy is none of your concern. It'll be much better if you all were to hand him over. There would be no more blood shed." Said the black haired man in an even and cold voice. _

"_Never… Naruto lives in this village now and we will not allow people like you to take him!" Sakamoto shouted, fangs bared. _

"_It seems we have no choice. Kisame, prepare to fight." _

"_Hai Itachi-san!" Kisame dropped into his taijutsu pose. _

"_Ready yourselves!" Shouted Daichi. _

_The Uchiha fell into fighting stance, eyes closed. Itachi watched them, his interest had. They were in the same pose he used most often, the first he learned, The Uchiha style. How did they know it? Then, the group opened their eyes, Sharingan shining brightly. Itachi's eyes widened slightly. There were more Uchiha. He hadn't killed them all. Reviewing their numbers, Itachi determined that it would best to retreat and return with a better plan. _

"_Get your sword, we're leaving." _

"_Nani Itachi-san?" Kisame asked confused, but he retrieved his sword none the less. Once the two men were standing together once more, they vanished in a mist. _

_With the threat gone, everyone focused their attention on the twins and Naruto. While the twins were being inspected and interrogated, Sakamoto checked on Naruto. Rolling him onto his back, she found he was worse for wear. His cloths were torn in several places, blood stained everywhere. His arms were purple as was one eye, that was swelled shut. Sakamoto was about to shout Naruto's condition to the others, but something odd caught her eye. Crimson chakra began to leak from his body, encasing him in a mist. As the mist touched him, his wounds began to heal, amazingly fast. Sakamoto couldn't believe it, the burden placed upon him was actually helping him. Glancing up at Gawdma, she found the massive beast staring intently at Naruto, watching the trails of demon chakra carefully. Soon it was decided that it would be best to get the three back to the village, and fast. _

_/End Flashback/_

"Wow…" Naruto spoke, after the recount of the Akatsuki's retreat was retold. There was a long pause before he continued. "Though I'm shocked as to how easily those two retreated, I think I understand why." He thought out loud.

"What do you mean Naruto?" Asked Natsumi.

"Well, seeing a group of Uchiha alive is shocking to most shinobi because everyone knows what happened to them in Konoha. But it was especially shocking to Itachi, the black haired one." He began.

"Why? What significance does our being alive hold to him?" Asked Hanako.

"Well, Itachi's name is Uchiha Itachi… and he's Sasuke's older brother… The one who killed the Uchiha clan in Konoha."

Silence caught everyone's tongues. Then Yoshiro spoke.

"I did notice that that Itachi did have the Sharingan activated. But it was more ominous than yours." He spoke to the Uchiha.

"Maybe that has something to do with what Sasuke had said… about the Mangekyuu or something like that…" Naruto trailed.

"You mean that young man has activated the Mangekyuu Sharingan?" Shouted Daichi.

"I guess, I'm not sure because I've never seen it but from what Sasuke told me, Itachi used it on him several times." Naruto replayed.

Feeling the tension in the air of the hut, Sumiko decided it was time to change the subject.

"Why were those two men after you Naruto?" She asked.

"Oh… well…" Naruto hesitated. "Those two guys, Itachi and Kisame, they're members of an organization called Akatsuki. The organization is full of S-class missing-nin, including those two." He paused while Sakamoto explained what an S-class missing-nin was. "Almost 13 years ago, Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The Hokage at the time, the Yondaime, took a new born child to the fight with him and sealed the fox in the baby. The jutsu he used cost him his life and he became a hero. While the child he sealed the fox in was a hero but was treated like the Kyuubi incarnate. Despised, hated, loathed… before the age of four, the child survived over 10 assassination attempts. All because of something it couldn't control." He paused. "The Akatsuki is after the Bijuu, like the Kyuubi. Thus they sent Itachi and Kisame to capture me… because I was the child the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into."

Naruto buried his face in Gawdma's fur, hoping he would just vanish. Feeling him press against her hip, Gawdma turned and curled around the shivering boy, acting as a wall of protection. Everyone within the hut was silent. What they had just been told was a lot to absorb. Sakamoto's eyes were downcast, finally hearing the full story did nothing to ease the sadness she felt for him. Sumiko was the first to react. She stood from where she was kneeling and slowly hobbled over to where Naruto lay in his Onibaneko blanket. Resting one hand on Gawdma's back, she reached forward and rubbed Naruto's shoulder. Lifting his head to meet her gaze, she spoke.

"Naruto, you may be burdened with something as great and evil as the Kyuubi no Kitsune, but no matter what people say, you are not the fox. You are not a demon, nor an abomination nor anything you have ever been called. You are a strong person. The fact you have not succumbed to the Kyuubi's power is proof you are what the Yondaime wished you to be… a hero." She smiled.

"You… you don't hate me?" Naruto asked shakily.

"We could never hate you Naruto. Unlike the people of Konoha, we hold no hard feelings towards the fox." Sumiko answered.

"If anything," Daichi began. "You have earned our respect."

"I agree." Yoshiro spoke up.

Everyone was smiling at him. He was accepted despite the fact they knew he carried the fox. They all smiled so happily at him, it warmed him inside. Turning, he saw Sakamoto was also smiling. Her grey eyes shined with understanding and respect. Returning his gaze to the others, he found their eyes glistening with respect. A smile slowly made its way to Naruto's whiskered face. Tears brimmed in his bright blue eyes. Burying his face in Gawdma's fur, he tried to hide his tears of joy. Gawdma chose that moment to sit up. Naruto and the others looked at her confused. Then, Naruto felt a familiar paw on his back. Gently, he was pulled against Gawdma's furry chest and held there, her nose touching the top of his head. Everyone smiled at the sight. Gawdma had never acted this way before, but they knew she was just as attached to the blonde as they were.

"Now I'm truly home…" Naruto whispered into the patches of rust red fur that had engulfed his face.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… get it through your thick heads!**

**A/N: Yay! People liked the sappy chapter! Now to answer the questions I remember. (I'm typing these chapters on my laptop, which doesn't have internet so yeah… gotta go by memory!) Ok…**

**First off! **

**No, I will not pair Naruto with Sakamoto… That's just gross… Sakamoto is not a pedophile… if anything, she's more of a mother towards Naruto. Their relationship as mother and son will start to truly develop in upcoming chapters. … You people disgust me…**

**Next one…**

**You just read Itachi's reaction… Not much of one but there was one… As for what he'll do? Well, what actually happens might shock you… teehee…**

**Next…**

**I will include a variation of the time skip, don't worry. Naruto will go off to train with someone, but it won't be Ero Sennin (Jiraiya)… Don't' worry, I will tell you when the time skip starts and how long it lasts but otherwise… You'll have to read to find out! **

**Ok…**

**For those of you who wonder what they're doing back in Konoha… continue using your imaginations… I'm not going back to Konoha just yet, but around this time, Naruto would have been leaving with Jiraiya while Sakura began her training with Tsunade and Sasuke had begun his with Orochimaru. Keep in mind that Sasuke is with Orochimaru… Naruto's banishment is punishment for not retrieving him remember?**

**Another one…**

**It's gonna be quiet some time before Naruto meets up with anyone he knew before his banishment, but he will eventually. Their reaction… you'll have to continue reading to find out!**

**Finally…**

**Naruto has been accepted by the village, yayness for Naruto! As for the pairing… I think it's very obvious… Teehee!**

**I hope that little bit answers your questions… but I also know that you're gonna come up with a bunch more so… I'm ready and waiting to answer them. **

Ruroushagakure

Word spread quickly, about his "tenant". To Naruto's surprise, the reaction was anything but what he had expected. The rest of the village had the same reaction as Sumiko-sama and his friends. Some even treated him with more respect, something had worked so hard for before. The younger generations began to idolize him, having been raised on stories of the 9 bijuu. Some elderly people began to treat him as an adult. They said, "If he can harbor the Kyuubi no Kitsune, he can pull his weight here…"

The excitement of the fact soon vanished though. Winter was fast approaching, all the trees were bare by the end of October. The small fields where the crops grew were bare before the last leaf fell. All the vegetables and assorted foods were in storage. The meat stalls were filling as well, also being stored for winter. The smell of the stacks of meat being dried out permeated the air, due to fresh kills being prepared for storage. Hanako and her team of sewers were working in overtime, creating heavy garments for everyone to wear. Taisho, Daichi and every boy above the age of 16 helped to reinforce and cover the huts with huge blankets of fur either stored from previous years or newly made from the skins of the kills. Soon, each hut was a colorful proclamation of deer skin, rabbit hair and wild cat fur. Everything was going smoothing until the first winter chill came in late November. By the first week of December, ¼ of the village was stricken with sickness.

Those affected by the ailment were quarantined in designated huts. Their symptoms started out as nothing, but soon became worse. It started with a cough, stuffy nose and headaches. Soon, the headaches would get worse, followed by sore throat and congestion. Then, the congestion and the headaches would clear up. Once that happened, they would start waking up with bloody noses and no voice. Then, the fever set in. Most fevers were so high, the inflicted would be rendered unconscious. The village medics, Sumiko and her magomasume, did the best they could to treat them. After two weeks, the epidemic had taken half of the village hostage. Already, 3 people had died from high fever. And then, tragedy struck. Sumiko herself fell victim to the illness.

With their elder incapacitated, the clan heads elected someone to temporarily take over until Sumiko returned to health, no one believed she would die. Sakamoto was chosen as the temporary elder, being the only one who had no family affected by the illness or was affected herself. Sakamoto instantly took control by having more people help with the treatment of the sick and having Teiva, Sumiko's magomasume, help her to find someway to cure the illness. While this went on, those who were well continued with their lives, though they were worried about their sick loved ones, they knew they must move on, and pray they grew better.

Naruto was for once thankful to be the jailor of the Kyuubi, it meant he was immune to all illness. He and his friends had somehow managed to avoid sickness, and were hoping to continue to do so. Yoshiro wasn't around a lot, several of his imoto and otouto being affected. Natsumi often drug the twins and Naruto the Hyuuga cluster, to ask how her "anesan", Hitomi, was doing. Hitomi was Taisho and Naomi's daughter, the heir to the Hyuuga. She and Natsumi had been raised together, at their fathers request, to enforce the bonds between the two clans. Though the two were growing apart, Natsumi still referred to Hitomi as anesan and Hitomi called Natsumi imoto.

Another week passed, 4 more deaths and 2 more sick, Sakamoto and Teiva came up with the solution. Sumiko's clan was infamous in their home village for their healing prowess. Sumiko had taught her magomasume everything she knew, added Sakamoto's endless knowledge, they came up with the answer as to what illness it was, but also how to cure it. A village meeting was called with all those who were well. To start, Sakamoto and Teiva explained the illness, what caused it and how to prevent it from spreading. They then began to tell them of what ingredients were needed for the antidote. This was when most became disheartened.

"We are missing the key ingredient." Sakamoto started. "The frozen silver egg of a Snow Dragon." She continued to explain why the egg was important and why it was impossible to get it. "As you all know, a Snow Dragon is a gigantic lizard, with a layer of fur white as snow. Its poisonous saliva would kill a human in seconds." She paused. "This is why, no matter what, I forbid anyone from going out and retrieving the frozen egg." Sakamoto then dismissed everyone.

Naruto rushed to his friends, who were lazily lying on some fallen trees in their training clearing. Naruto had an idea, and having only heard the last part of the last sentence Sakamoto had spoken, he thought it was brilliant. Snow had begun to fall by the time he reached the clearing.

"Guys! I know how we can help everyone!" He shouted joyfully.

"What are you talking about baka?" Asked Isamu.

"Yeah, we can't help anyone." Katsu added.

"No! We can help the people who are sick! Like Anisan's siblings, Hitomi-chan and Sumiko-sama!" Naruto told them.

"How can we do that Naruto?" Asked Natsumi, who became interested when he said "… people who are sick..."

Sakamoto-san and Teiva know how to make a cure, they just don't have all the things they need to make it. They're missing the most important part. My plan is, we go out and find the missing thing, bring it back and everyone gets cured!"

The twins and Natsumi exchanged glances between each other and Naruto.

"Are you sure about this Naruto, it's very dangerous outside the village…." Natsumi pointed out.

"Yeah, there could be big animals, monsters and other things out there…." Isamu added.

"Besides the fact we'll get in trouble." Katsu pointed out.

"I know, but if we bring back the thing they need, everyone will forget we were ever in trouble."

They thought on it a moment.

"Well, if finding it means that anesan and the others get better, I say we try." Natsumi spoke with determination.

"I agree with her, I'll go." Katsu added.

Isamu looked between his three friends hesitantly.

"What's the matter Isamu… you scared?" Taunted Naruto.

"No! I just… Fine! I'll go too!" He shouted angrily.

"Then its settled, we're going. I say we pack some of the things we'll need, I'm not sure how long we'll be gone. And we meet up back here in an hour." Naruto planned out.

Everyone agreed and they went their separate ways. As promised, an hour later, they met back up in their clearing, eager and waiting to go. Once they were sure they were ready, they set out into the forest, Naruto in the lead with Natsumi and Isamu in the middle and Katsu bringing up the rear. As they hiked, they were unaware that a pair of acid green eyes attached to a giant beast were watching them, and following them as they went.

**A/N Continued: **

**Magomasume: Granddaughter**

**Anesan: Older sister**

**Anisan: Older brother**

**Imoto: Younger sister**

**Otouto: Younger brother**

**The illness that is affecting the village is one of my own creation! Thus why it has no name. As for Sumiko's clan name, that will be reviled in time… as soon as I find where I put my notes and character sheets for this story… damn papers always go missing… Also, I'm taking Japanese lessons now, thus why there are so many Japanese words in this chapter. I have to practice. **

**Also, as for what a Snow Dragon is… It too is something of my own creation. It's about 7ft tall at the top of the head. Its body is similar in shape to a Komodo Dragon, except it's like 7 times bigger. Its body is covered with white fur (top of neck to tail, minus the feet), while its scales are white. This is so because it has adapted to the changing climate so it can survive the cold winters. It sheds its fur at the start of spring and its scales also change color, from white to dark brown so it blends in better with the forest. Like a Komodo Dragon, it has deadly saliva. Snow Dragon eggs develop better in cold temperatures, thus why they are called frozen eggs. The eggs are silver to reflect the white of the environment. Snow Dragons only lay one egg every 5 years, thus one more reason it's so dangerous to try and take one. The mother will protect that egg with her life. **

**Anyway, that's it for now, sorry to keep you waiting and what not. Have a nice day…**

**Ja!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**A/N: Sorry for not updating, been kinda busy. MAP testing this week and I'm dissecting a sheep's brain in Anatomy… yumm. **

**Anyway, if anyone still reads this story, thanks for putting up with my delayed updates. Also, I'm still looking for someone to help me write fight scenes. So if you don't mind lending me a hand, please say so in a review or send me a PM with your contact info. I'm planning for the action packed goodness to start soon so I'll need someone soon. **

**I'm also looking for a yaoi author who would like to donate their time in helping me with another fic I'm writing… I personally can't write lemons and require assistance. If you're interested, contact me through email or a PM. Thanks!**

**Also, CN is starting to piss me off. I don't know if this has happened to anyone else but, first they cut off the ending of episode 80, and now the sound on their channel is screwed up! I swear I'm gonna do something! **

**On a side note, kudos to those of you who joined me and millions of other Naruto fans who assisted in crashing the CN server on the 24th of March. One of my friends cousins' works for CN and they reported that they lost count of complaints at over four million… We are a force to be reckoned with! That was their warning, I imagine if that happens again, there will be blood shed. **

**Anyway, best get to the chapter. Thanks again for staying with this story and please message me if you want to lend your fight scene and/or yaoi scene writing services. Arigatou Gozaimasu!**

Ruroushagakure

Snow fell in silence, the usual sounds of happiness, of children playing in the falling precipitation could not be heard. The village had been silenced by death. Another person fell victim to the epidemic, this time, it was a child. Yoshiro walked slowly, his head held down. Though it had not been any of his affected siblings, he still felt pain for the mother. He knew what it was like to lose someone, the pain of his own tragedy still fresh in his mind, even after five years. The snow had begun to fall as he left his siblings sides, he had the others who were well to tend to. The earth was blanketed with white when he reached the fence around the quarantine. It fell lightly at first but now, halfway to his home, it was falling hard. It had become hard to see through the falling flakes. A smile found a way to his sullen features, one thought that brought him some illusion of happiness. His friends were still safe.

A flash of red out of the corner of his eye brought him to attention. Looking around, he found he had been mindlessly walking and found himself where he and his friends would always meet. Looking around, he saw signs that they had been there very recently. Gazing at their fast fading tracks, he found they traveled into the tree line. Confusion wrought on his features, Yoshiro stalked foreword to investigate. But by the time he reached the tree line, their tracks were gone. Buried by the heavy snow fall. Scowling, he pondered, '_Where could they be going? They know not to go in the forest…'_ A flash of red caught his eye again.

Looking up, he saw a red blur in the snow fall, it was motionless in the trees. The blur stood a good two feet higher than he, its size showing it was massive. Though he could not see its eyes, he knew they were drilling into his own burgundy orbs. Something told him this figure wanted him to follow it. Another moment and the figure began to venture further into the forest, soon fading in the heavy snow. Glancing down, he saw something he had over looked before. A large track, roughly the size of his head. Looking around, he spied another one, heading into the forest. Following them, he found a trail of tracks leading to where the figure had been only moments before. Continuing to follow the trail, Yoshiro smirked. _'Seems I'm not the only one who thinks their up to no good. Arigatou gozaimasu for leading me to them…'_

* * *

"Naruto! I can't see and my feet are almost numb! Let's head back!" Shouted Natsumi as she trailed behind her friends.

"We can't! Our tracks are gone!" Shouted Katsu, over the heavy wind that began to billow through the trees.

Everyone turned back to look for themselves. Katsu was right, the snow fall had hidden their trail. The wind quieted as they stood, lost.

"ARG! I knew it! I told you all it wasn't a good idea but no! We had to go anyway! I knew it! Now we're lost!" Isamu shouted, pointing a finger at the other three. Then realization hit him. "Oh no… We're lost… WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Isamu screamed as he began to run in circles around the others.

"Don't worry, I'm sure someone has noticed that we're gone and is probably out looking for us." Naruto tried to reassure the others.

"Naruto's right, all we have to do is wait… someone should come for us soon." Natsumi added.

"How do you suggest we do that? This place is filled with things that want to EAT US!" Shouted Isamu as he continued to panic.

"Maybe we should find shelter, some place to get out of this snow fall?" Suggested Natsumi, giving a questioning glance at Naruto and Katsu. They nodded in agreement.

"Come psycho…" Katsu stated as he grabbed his twin by the collar of his shirt and drug him along behind them. Isamu was in tears at this point.

* * *

Sakamoto sighed heavily, a migraine forming in her head. She was too old for this. Teiva had just reported another death, a child this time. More people were sick as well and Sumiko was not getting better. No one was. She sighed again, things were not looking good. She walked through the non quarantine area of the village… it seemed almost vacant. The snow fall had lessened some, but it was still very cold.

Sakamoto stalked the barren paths through the village, towards her home. Stepping within the warm hut, she discarded her snow soaked coat. Walking towards the bedroom, she noticed how silent it was. _'I told Naruto to return here if it started snowing… Where is he?'_ She searched the hut, but found no blonde boy. Scratching her head, Sakamoto deduced that he must still be with his friends. Scowling, she walked to the door, throwing on her coat in the process. Throwing back the door flap, she was greeted with the site of Aki Kaguya, the oldest of Yoshiro's sisters.

Aki was dressed in a fur coat, several layers of shirts and pants and leather boots. Her burgundy eyes stared up at Sakamoto with concern. Her mid back length dark grey hair was turned white by the newly falling snow. Her pale skin seemed to glow against all the white, her lips the tiniest hint of blue.

"What is it Aki?" Sakamoto asked, biting back her anger at Naruto for not listening to her.

Aki shifted slightly. "Anesan hasn't come home, he had promised to be back by now. We, my siblings and I, were hoping you could tell me where he is." She spoke softly.

Sakamoto cocked an eyebrow. "Yoshiro hasn't been home? I saw him leave the quarantine about half an hour ago."

"He hasn't returned and we're worried." She replied.

"Well…" Sakamoto was cut off.

"Sakamoto! I must have a word with you!" Shouted Daichi as he approached.

"Yes Daichi? What can I help you with today?" She asked, fighting off frustration.

"Have you seen Natsumi? I can't seem to find her anywhere. I assumed that she may have been here with Naruto but I can see that he has not been here. Also, no one has seen the twins for some time."

"Wonderful… First we had a missing Yoshiro but now we have missing twins, Uchiha and the gaki… What next!?" Sakamoto asked as she rubbed her temples.

"Saka-baachan!"

"Wonderful, what does the mutt want?"

"I heard that! Gawdma is missing!" Shouted Kira.

"This is new? You know Gawdma likes to wander off… Because she hates you…" Sakamoto trailed off.

"Shut it! And this time is different! Usually she returns if I call… but she didn't. The pack can't find her either… I'm worried." Kira confessed.

"Alright… Let's take a tally on whose missing: Yoshiro, Naruto, Natsumi, Isamu, Katsu, and now Gawdma… What conclusions can we draw from that?" Sakamoto asked.

Everyone thought in silence.

"Well… it's obvious that Natsumi and the twins are with Naruto… Maybe Yoshiro went with them to assure their safety but that doesn't explain Gawdma's disappearance." Kira stated.

"Yes, but you forget that Gawdma has taken a liking to Naruto. Therefore, she could have followed them to insure his safety." Daichi pointed out.

"That's true." Kira replied.

"Alright, now we know that where ever they are, they're together… now we just need to figure out where they went." Sakamoto stated.

"Ano… I last saw Naruto-anesan this morning, when you made that announcement Sakamoto-san." Aki spoke.

The three adults stared at each other in silence. Then Sakamoto slammed her hand against her face.

"The baka… He talked them into helping him find the egg…" Sakamoto trailed off.

Daichi sighed, wondering how his intelligent daughter got talked into doing something so dangerous while Kira stared blankly at everyone.

"Aki, run home and take care of your siblings. Daichi, watch the village and what not. Kira, you and I are going to track them down." Sakamoto ordered with a voice of authority.

"Why me? And don't we need some sort of dog to track people?" Kira asked.

Sakamoto pointed to her nose with one hand while the other worked on removing the chocker from around her neck. "Don't forget what I am… there's nothing that can hide from my nose."

"Alright, and I forgot." Kira admitted.

"Fine, let's go." Sakamoto began to stalk towards the woods, shedding her coat in the process.

"I swear, when I find that gaki, I'm going to beat some sense into him…" She spoke, her voice several levels deeper and slightly raspy, a growl surfacing under it, as her grey eyes slowly turned dark red.

* * *

"I think we're walking in circles." Said Isamu as he trailed behind the others, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"No you idiot, everything just looks the same, that's all." Answered his twin, who shook his head in shame at his brothers' stupidity.

"Will you just shut up Isamu? Your comments aren't helping right now." Said Natsumi, looking back at the two with frustration.

"Hey! There's a clearing up ahead!" Shouted Naruto, who was walking far ahead the others.

The group of four dashed through the thick snow to the clearing. It was rather large, and circular in shape. They searched the clearing, searching for something they did not know. Natsumi screeched in pain as her foot hit what felt like a tree stub buried under the snow. The incident was soon forgotten when Isamu, who was merely looking for a way out, fell into a hole. The others rushed over to the tree that stood above where Isamu had vanished. Looking down, they found something had dug out the earth from under the tree, making a den.

"You ok you idiot?" Asked Katsu.

"Erg, I'm fine. My ass hurts though." Echoed Isamu's voice. The hole was so deep and dark, Isamu could not be seen.

"Can you climb out or do we have to come down and save you?" Teased Natsumi.

"I can get back out… Hold on a second…" Isamu trailed off as they heard him shuffle around in the den.

"Oh my gosh…" Came his whispered voice after a few moments of silence.

"What is it? What did you find?" Asked Naruto, just as curious as the others.

The sound of dirt crumbling came next until Isamu's head poked out of the hole, one hand pulling him up, the other holding a massive object. Upon standing after pulling himself out, Isamu raised the object up for the others to see. In his hands sat a massive egg, silver in color. Natsumi's hands covered her mouth, stifling her gasp. Katsu's eyes mirrored his twins, dinner plates. Naruto stared at the egg in silence.

"It's that thing we came out to find… I found it!" Isamu spoke softly.

A large smile spread across his face as he opened his mouth and said, "Ha! I told you nothing bad would happen! We're gonna be heroes when we get back with this!" His statement was greeted with silence.

Isamu stared at his friends, their eyes were wide with fear, jaws quivering silently. Confusion wrought over his face.

"What? Is it that shocking?"

Silence was his reply. Then, Isamu felt a shadow cast over him, and moist breath washed over him. Slowly, he brought his head back. The sight that he found made him scream like a little girl. His scream spurred the others to scream as well.

"Snow Dragon!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: You know the drill… **

**A/N: Greetings all! I have wonderful news… I'm passing Anatomy! WOOT! My final grade is a B… Way better than last semester. For those who were wondering, I'm gonna be a senior in High School. If you read my profile, you would have known that. shakes head **

**Anyway… **

**My life has improved recently, not that any of you care so long as I update… but I wanna share! Ok, back to what I was saying, I'm in love. I'm so happy… I finally have a boyfriend! This relationship is unlike the other's I've had… In my other ones, I didn't really like the guy. The first two, they were jerks. The third was more like an annoying brother than a boyfriend, you know what I mean? Anyway, this guy, he's different. I actually blush when I talk about him, and get shy and stuff when I talk with him. I'm actually happy to be with him. **

**Anyway… I'm getting all mushy and off topic. **

**On with the fic!**

Ruroushagakure

The four preteens stood frozen in fear. Towering above them, long sharp teeth bared, stood a Snow Dragon. The beast itself was terrifying. At least nine feet tall, and 15 ft long. It was white in color, with patches of ice blue fur scattered across its massive scaled body. Its body was shaped like that of a Komodo dragon, with a trail of ice blue feathers that danced down its spine from its jaw line. Bright yellow eyes stared down at them, over a long fang bearing snout. A long tail swung behind it, roughly as long as Sakamoto was tall (between 7 to 8 ft), ending it a whiplash. Staring at them, the snow dragon slowly opened its massive joules, deadly saliva drenching the now separated fangs. The acidic liquid dripped down from the now open mouth, hitting the snow covered grown with a seeping stench.

The first to move was Naruto. Thinking fast, he grabbed Natsumi by the arm, and the twins with the other, and dived into the burrow they had just found. Once they landed, Naruto didn't give his friends any time to recover before he dragged them as far back into the burrow as they could go. Huddling together, Naruto took the egg from Isamu, who was slowly entering a panic attack.

Katsu tried to calm his twin, to no avail. Natsumi looked to Naruto, not sure what they should do. Naruto merely stared at her before turning back to the entrance. Taking this as a "Shirimasu", Natsumi took to staring at her hands. It was silent for some time. Then, a set of massive claws began digging at the entrance. In-between claw swipes, the snow dragons' large nose would appear in the entrance, sniffing to make sure they were still there. Then the digging would continue.

The group of four huddled together, the egg still in Naruto's lap. The clawing sounds got closer and closer. Soon, heavy moist breath began blasting the backs of Naruto and Natsumi, causing them to shiver. The overbearing weight of that creature began to come down upon them as the area above them was forced away, the tree being toppled by the much heavier dragon. All sat, awaiting the first of the onslaught… but nothing came.

Instead, the earth shook with a great crashing noise. Looking up from where they were, the four preteens saw the snow dragon down on its side. Looking past it, they found a large red creature skidding to a stop. Looking closer, they realized who it was. Gawdma. The snow dragon began to stand, regaining its bearings. Its head swiveled, its yellow eyes staring angrily into Gawdma's own acid green orbs. A Loud screeching sound erupted from the lizards' throat as it charged Gawdma. The lizard was a good two feet taller than Gawdma, yet she showed no hesitation and stood her ground, waiting for the oncoming attack.

The two titans met head on, the lizard swinging its neck to attempt to catch Gawdma's neck. Gawdma saw this coming, and quickly swung her massive tusks towards to the beasts exposed underbelly. Seeing this, the lizard lowered its neck and quickly did a u-turn. This brought its whiplash tail careening towards Gawdma. She ducked the tail, swiping her massive claws at the dragons' legs. One managed to nick it. A screech found its way out the dragons' mouth. Angered by the injury, it swung its tail again. This time hitting its intended target.

The impact sent Gawdma skipping across the clearing, before settling on her side. Her massive body lay motionless. At this, the four became scared. The dragon seemed satisfied with its work and returned to its first target. As the lizard stood over them, Naruto caught a blur of red out of the corner of his eye. Then, Gawdma's body collided with the dragon once again. This time however, her tusks dug into the scaled hide. The dragon screeched, throwing its weight around, attempting to dislodge Gawdma from it. With a loud snap, Gawdma flew and landed on her feet while the dragon chewed at the offending object that was still impaled in its shoulder.

Finally removing the broken end of the tusk, it returned its angry eyes to Gawdma, only to find the large cat like beast in a full blown charge at it. Bringing its rear end around, tail ready to strike, it attempted to hide its injury and protect itself. Its right forelimb was raised in the air, a large gaping hole in the shoulder that was bleeding profusely. It brought its head down, its long neck allowing it to put its fangs between Gawdma and the wound.

Gawdma barreled foreword, skidding to the right to avoid the flailing tail. As the offending appendage reared back to the other side of the dragon to regain its momentum, Gawdma rose onto her hind legs and delivered a deep wound to the dragons' abdomen. She then crouched down to avoid the tail once more. But the dragon caught on, and brought its hind leg, claws ready, towards Gawdma. She rolled over herself to avoid injury, and then took advantage of her new location. Batting the whiplash end with her own massive tail, she jumped up and latched onto the dragons' neck. Her fore claws digging into the back of the lizards' neck, hind claws into its shoulders. She then dislodged her lower jaw and sunk her eight inch saber fangs into the dragons' neck, effectively crushing its windpipe.

Gawdma's weight, added to the now lacking oxygen and blood loss, the snow dragon began to weaken. Its struggles soon became only a memory, its tail crashing to the ground. Followed by its hind limbs, belly, fore limbs and finally, its neck and head came too. As it fell, Gawdma released her hold, placing her paws on the ground. Her grip on the dragons' windpipe did not lessen. When the snow dragons abdomen stopped rising and falling, and its eyes glazed over, Gawdma removed her fangs and reconnected her lower jaw. Blood dripped from her long fangs, the area around her mouth stained, Gawdma turned back to the four of them.

The four of them began to climb out of the pit that was once the burrow. Once back on the snow covered ground, they began to clam down. Natsumi brushed off her cloths and attempted to get the dirt out of her hair. Isamu was frozen, Katsu kicked him to snap him out of it. Naruto, still holding the egg, looked to his friends.

"You guys ok?"

"Well… considering we were almost eaten by a giant lizard, I'd say I'm fine." Answered Natsumi sarcastically.

"I'm fine… but I don't know about scardy cat here." Katsu pointed down to Isamu.

Naruto nodded, laughing a little at Isamu. Natsumi laughed as well.

"It's good that you're all fine, because when Sakamoto gets a hold of you all, she's liable to kill you." Came a voice from the edge of the clearing.

All turned to find Yoshiro was the source. He stood, leaning against a tree.

"That may be true, but we found that thing that Sakamoto-san needed." Naruto held up the egg. "Maybe she'll lessen our punishment…" Natsumi added.

"Well…" Yoshiro started, but was cut off by a smashing sound.

A very frazzled Sakamoto barged into the clearing. Her enraged eyes locking on the four that had caused her frustration.

"YOU GAKI'S ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU…" Sakamoto's threat trailed off as she eyed the objected in Naruto's arms.

Kira chose this moment to enter as well, muttering something about ungrateful baa-chan's asking for her help then abandoning her. Looking up when she noticed that Sakamoto had stopped her roaring, her eyes grew wide at the sight of the egg.

"Look what we found Sakamoto-san!" Naruto walked up and handed the silver egg to her.

She held it as if it were made of glass. After examining it, she raised her shocked grey eyes to the four preteens.

"How? Surly the mother would have killed you…" She trailed off.

"She almost did, but Gawdma came and saved us." Natsumi pointed at Gawdma.

She sat next to her kill, cleaning her claws and fangs. Her clean claws were working on smoothing out the broken stub of her tusk. Feeling that she was being watched, Gawdma peered up.

Sakamoto nodded, her shock wearing off. She looked to the four again.

"Don't think that just because you got the egg means you're out of trouble. It just means your punishment will be delayed. Trust me when I say this though, you will be punished." Handing the egg to Kira, Sakamoto continued. "Take this back and give it to Teiva. She'll know what to do."

Kira nodded and began to walk back. Sakamoto then turned to Yoshiro.

"Your siblings are very worried, I suggest you head back as soon as possible. But when you do, bring that carcass with you." She pointed to the dead snow dragon. "We could use it."

Yoshiro nodded, walking over to the massive lizard. He grabbed it by its tail, wrapping the whiplash around his arm. He then hoisted the rest of its tail over his shoulder and began to drag it away. Leaving a trail of red in the snow.

Sakamoto turned to Gawdma then.

"Will you make sure these four get back?"

Gawdma grunted.

"Alright, I'm going to help Yoshiro. You four had best be back before nightfall… Understand?"

They nodded.

"Good." Sakamoto then turned and began after Yoshiro.

"Sakamoto-san?" Natsumi called.

"What is it Natsumi?" Sakamoto stopped walking.

"Gawdma broke her tusk in the fight, what will happen to her now? I mean, the Onibaneko rank by the size of their tusks right, will she be abandoned?"

"Don't worry about Gawdma, she'll be fine. She's got size on her side and…" Sakamoto paused for a moment. "She left her pack."

"What?" Shouted Natsumi.

"Yesterday, she left her pack. Her oldest daughter is in charge now." Sakamoto paused again. "I think she just got too tired of Kira's bossiness. I know I would."

"Ok… I guess." Natsumi trailed off.

"Don't worry, I'm sure whatever her reasons are, they won't hurt her." Sakamoto then began after Yoshiro again.

Natsumi remained silent for a moment, before Katsu called to her. She then went and helped him with his brother. Once Isamu was on his feet, the trio began walking back. Natsumi glanced back, seeing Naruto hadn't moved.

"Naruto, aren't you coming?"

"In a minute…" He trailed.

Natsumi nodded, turning back to help Katsu.

Once they were gone, Naruto sighed. It happened again. His friends were almost killed because he couldn't protect them. Shaking his head, he turned to leave. There was no point in getting depressed. He was almost out of the clearing when he heard a voice. It was deep, deeper than Sakamoto's, yet feminine.

"_Don't feel too bad, at least they didn't die. Be grateful you haven't lost everything."_

Turning, Naruto found the only other living thing in the clearing was Gawdma. She sad on her haunches, tail wrapped around her feet, her broken tusk held delicately in her teeth. She sat staring at him. Naruto raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.

"No way…"

"_And why not? I'm just as intelligent as you. How do you think Kira understands me?"_

"But, it's impossible!"

"_Nothing's impossible pup. You yourself are an example of that."_

"Ok then, how come I've never heard you before?"

"_You weren't listening hard enough."_

Gawdma then stood and stalked over to him. She nudged his hands with her snout. When he held up his hands, she dropped her broken tusk in his hands. He looked at her in confusion. She merely placed one of her massive paws on his head and rubbed it.

"_Someday you'll understand pup. For now, let's head back. I'm not as young as I used to be and today's activities have worn me out."_

Naruto nodded, following alongside Gawdma's massive body. Her words, despite how weird they were, had made him feel just a little bit better. Perhaps, she was right. Maybe he was too young to understand. Maybe…

* * *

By the end of the week, everyone who was still sick was given the cure. Once everyone was better, Sakamoto revealed who had found the missing ingredient and decided that she wouldn't punish them, much to everyone's surprise. Sumiko, who was finally able to retake her position, said she would find a suitable reward for the four, but had yet to do so. Everyone who was in the quarantine was released after a full check up by Teiva.

Natsumi dragged Naruto and the twins behind her, her Ane-san was being released on this day. She couldn't wait to see her. Once they reached the fence, she stopped and waited. While they waited, Yoshiro left with his once sick siblings. He waved and smiled at them while the younger Kaguya gave shouts of "Naruto ani-san!" before being dragged off. After a while longer, Natsumi's Ane-san finally emerged, accompanied by her father Taisho.

"Ane-san!"

"Imoto!"

The two girls hugged, rejoicing in their reunitment. Seeing this, Taisho smiled and left to find his wife. The two girls stayed locked for some time, before Isamu cleared his throat.

"I'm so glad that you're ok Ane-san, I was so worried."

"Me too Imoto, I was scared out of my mind! But, thanks to you, I'm better now."

"Well, it wasn't me…"

"What do you mean? Sakamoto-san said you helped find the egg."

"Actually, ane-san, Naruto was the one who convinced me to find it. If he hadn't talked us into looking for it, you'd still be sick."

Hitomi looked over Natsumi's shoulder at the only face that was unfamiliar. She had only met Naruto once, otherwise, their paths barely ever crossed. Releasing Natsumi, Hitomi walked over to Naruto. He was about half a foot shorter than her. As she glanced him over, Naruto did so in return. He never really had a chance to do so.

Hitomi had the look of a Hyuuga, like her father. The pure white eyes that were the staple of the clan looked calculating as she looked him over. She had long black hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. Her skin was pale, much like Hinata's. Hitomi had an air of confidence around her, but it wasn't suffocating like Neji's. Naruto could tell by her stance she was well trained. Hitomi was adorned in a purple yukata, black gi pants and a lavender sash. Noticing his staring at her, she smirked.

Placing a hand on Naruto's cheek, her thumb lazily trailed the whisker marks. Naruto froze at the touch.

"You're quite the cutie." She smiled at the blush that found its way to Naruto's face. "I really must think of a way to thank you." She giggled.

Natsumi's eyes narrowed at the scene before her.

"Tha… That's ok…" Naruto stuttered.

"No, I insist! How ever could I repay you… you saved my life…" She raised her hands to play with Naruto's golden locks.

Naruto's face was as red as a tomato, his eyes glancing to the ground.

"I think I know how I can!" Hitomi said in a soft voice that reminded Naruto of Hinata.

"What?"

Hitomi grabbed Naruto by the sides of his cheeks and pressed her lips to his. Naruto's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

Isamu was shouting cat calls while Katsu napped against the fence.

Natsumi stared on in shock.

Hitomi let her lips linger longer than necessary, before pulling away. She let her thumbs trail his whisker marks once more.

"Thank you so very much Naruto-kun." She then winked and blew him a kiss as she walked away.

Naruto was left standing in a daze, not fully aware of what just happened.

Natsumi stared after her ane-san with hate filled sharingan's in her eyes. Her fists clenched so hard, her knuckles were white. Her jaw clenched painfully. For the first time in her life, Natsumi hated Hitomi… and she knew it would not be the last time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: "Search your feelings Chibi Orochi-kun, you know it to be true…" sob No! It's not true! It's impossible! "You… Do not own Naruto." NOOOOOOOOOO! (Chibi Orochi-kun doesn't own Star Wars either… she just felt like making the disclaimer fun) **

**A/N: I'd like to give a shout out to movintarget, who sent me the nicest PM ever! It really made my day and inspired me to write this chapter. Kudos to movintarget! **

**P.S.: I have not gotten started on the pages of my manga yet... nor do I have a perminant title... I'm still working on outlining with ink... However... I do have drawings of some of the characters up, and if you promise not to steal them, I'll let you see them. Just message me, and ask to see the link. If I think you're worthy enough, I'll reply with the link. Ok... On with the chapter!**

Ruroushagakure

A few months went by, the seasons changing. The winter snows that brought tragedy soon melted, making way for the blossoms of spring. Life in the little village went on as normal. Soon, the heat began to climb and summer was upon them. Young children played while older ones helped their parents tend the crops. Naruto and his friends spent their time training, to avoid chores. On this particular day, it was too hot to train. They simply lay in the grass, sunbathing as they tried to relax. Yoshiro was not with them, having young siblings to look after. It was around noon when the four preteens began to stir.

"Ah!" Naruto stretched. "I'm hungry!"

"Me too…" Natsumi plucked grass from her hair.

"I say we get food! But what?" Asked Isamu.

"Well… We could go eat at my house… Okaa-san always tells me it's ok to bring friends over. I don't think Otou-san would mind much either…" said Natsumi.

"That's a great idea, let's go!" Isamu grabbed his brother and began to run towards the village.

Naruto stood slowly, before stretching. Natsumi was dusting herself off before she stood up. She was about to get up and leave when a tan hand appeared in her sight. She looked up slightly shocked at Naruto. He merely smiled in return. After a moment, Natsumi took the hint and grabbed his hand. Naruto then helped her stand up. Once she was standing, she noticed her legs were very stiff. Looking to Naruto, she raised an eyebrow.

"I knew you were gonna be stiff, we all were… and since Isamu and Katsu weren't nice enough to help, I thought I should." He then gave her his signature fox smile.

"Oh…" Natsumi blushed lightly. "Arigatou Naruto."

"Douitashimashite… Now, how about some lunch!" Naruto shouted as he began to walk back to the village.

Natsumi followed, amazed that Naruto was still holding her hand. Her blush darkened slightly at the thought. Naruto's hand was slightly bigger than hers, and much warmer. She could feel rough calluses on his skin, proving he had once been a shinobi. She liked the feel of his hand in hers, it made her feel safe. Just as she was coming to terms with the situation, Naruto pulled his hand away, whispering an apology. Natsumi said nothing, but inwardly sobbed at the loss of contact.

* * *

"So we have a confirmed sighting?" Asked Sumiko, sipping her tea after the question. 

"Yes, we saw two people who fit the descriptions you gave us." Answered one of the guests, who was male.

"One was tall and blue skinned, the other was short with long black hair… both wore cloaks decorated with red clouds…" Spoke the second guest, a female.

"We knew they would return…" Sumiko spoke silently.

"What will we do?" Asked Sakamoto.

"Nothing at the moment… Dare not speak a word to Naruto. We don't need him worrying again." Answered Sumiko.

"What do you want us to do?" Asked the male guest.

"Boba, I want you to track their movements the best you can. Jouba, I want you to remain here."

"I'll do my best Sumiko-sama." Boba spoke with a bow.

"As will I." Jouba bowed as well.

"That will be all for now… Remember, no one can know until we're sure they're back for him."

* * *

Naruto, Natsumi, Isamu and Katsu sat around the table in Natsumi's house. Hanako, Natsumi's mother, stood cooking their lunch. The friends conversed while they awaited their meals. Once they ran out of things to talk about, they fell silent. As Hanako was serving them their food, Daichi returned home. All greeted him as he sat down as well. There was small conversation, but dominate silence. Until Natsumi asked Naruto about Konoha. The room buzzed with chatter of questions from the twins as Naruto tried to answer her question. The questions ranged from what was his house like to what was school like, even to what kinds of missions he had to do. 

"Wow… that's really cool, but sad… They really died?" Asked Natsumi.

"Yeah, thought I don't think Haku should have died. But… things like that can't be changed. No matter how much we may want to… they can't." Answered Naruto.

"What about those… those uh… Chunnin Exams! Yeah… what about those?" Shouted Isamu.

"Those? Oh… I didn't pass them… I think I should have though. Nothing real eventful happened during those. Let's see… Sakura did something useful… Met Sabaku no Gaara… Trained with Ero Sennin and learned to summon… Sasuke-teme got a love bite from Orochimaru… I fought Gaara and beat him, where Sasuke-teme could not… Ojii-san fought with Orochimaru and was killed… Sound invaded Konoha but Konoha won… That's about it… I think…" _'Don't think I should mention the whole sealing off Kyuubi thing…'_

"That's a lot of stuff…" Isamu said, holding the sides of his head.

"So, the events that lead to Sasuke's betrayal and your banishment started in the Chunnin Exams?" asked Katsu.

"What do you mean?"

"All the changes in Sasuke started after he got the curse seal you said… so all that stuff started when he got it…"

"I guess you're right…" Naruto looked downward in thought.

"So this is where you were hiding…" Spoke a deep feminine voice from the door.

"Hello Sakamoto, what brings you here?" Asked Daichi.

"Just looking for the blonde gaki. Hope he hasn't been giving you trouble."

"No trouble at all, he and the children where just sharing stories." Hanako smiled.

"I guess that's alright…" Sakamoto pointed at Naruto. "I need to talk to you, outside."

Naruto nodded, stood and walked out to see what Sakamoto needed to see him about. Once he stepped out of the hut, he was greeted by a strange sight. Standing next to Sakamoto were two human-like creatures' he had never seen before. One was male, the other, female.

The male was tall with dark, tan skin. His hair was dark brown and lay down his back in messy knots. His face was somewhat animal like, with a slightly elongated muzzle and slits for nostrils. Where his hips would have been was a line of dark tan fur that marked the separation of human and beast. His lower body resembled that of a bull's, with large muscular legs and forked hooves. His lower fore-limbs had large shoulders' and a slight hump in the spine. A tail wagged behind him, swatting away insects. Upon his head were two large horns that pointed foreword, with spurs upon them. His eyes were amber with large pupils, and long eyelashes.

The female looked similar in the upper body, with the same face shape. Her skin was a lighter tan then the males. Her hair was a sandy blonde and was bound by a tie of some sort. Her lower body was much different, however. Her forelegs were taller than her hind ones. Unlike the male's, hers were slim and slightly knobby. She too had forked hooves and a tail that swished back and forth. Her hind limbs seemed to be the more powerful of the two sets, while the males fore limbs were the stronger of his. Upon her head rested a set of horns that pointed backwards, similar to an antelopes. Her eyes were green, also with large pupils and long eyelashes.

Naruto looked to Sakamoto in confusion.

"I'm gonna be heading out with Boba hear for a while. Just a routine scouting trip. I'll be back in a couple of days. In the mean time, Jouba here will look after you. Don't worry, she may look mean, but she's not." Sakamoto chuckled. "Can I trust you to be good?"

"Hai Sakamoto-san."

"Ok then," She turned to Boba, "We'd best get going." Sakamoto and the male creature, Boba, began to leave.

Once they were out of sight, the female creature, Jouba, turned to Naruto with a smile.

"What shall we do first?" She asked in a light hearted voice.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto… I'm getting real tired of repeating this… Haven't you guys learned already?! sigh narg…**

**A/N: First off, I'm sorry to those who asked for the link to my sketches… Photobucket isn't being very nice. I'm in the midst of creating a DeviantArt account so have no fear! Second, I plan to start writing the script for my manga very soon… I just hope it turns out good… whimpers **

**Anyway, let's get on with the chapter. By the way… If anyone has problems with the events in this chapter, or that it's longer than normal… deal with it… **

**This is the Neighborhood Watch Committee, thank you and have a safe day!**

Ruroushagakure

Jouba was, to say the least, interesting. Despite being half animal, she acted very human. Add to that, even though she's 20, she's still a teenager to her species… Naruto was confused. Naruto had met some pretty strange people in his short shinobi career, but Jouba topped the list… Not that he'd tell her that. He saw what she did to Isamu. To put it bluntly, he was surprised the boy walked away with only a mild concussion.

The first day Jouba babysat Naruto, he learned a few things. Things like that Jouba and Boba weren't born in the village, but that they came from the same herd. He also learned that even though Jouba called Boba her brother, he wasn't really. And Jouba is older than Boba. Naruto found this odd, considering Boba had looked not only older, but stronger than Jouba. She replied that he looked that way only because his male testosterone made him that way. Naruto didn't know what she was talking about, but agreed anyway.

Turned out that Jouba and Boba were hardly ever in the village. They were the two sent to find possible new settlement sites for the village, should the one they were currently one no longer provide for them. Hearing this, Naruto quickly asked where all they had been. It took Jouba a few moments to recollect but she answered with "We've been everywhere." The rest of the day was spent listening and exchanging stories.

The following week was quiet, nothing really exciting happened. But Naruto found it weird that when Jouba was not following him, Gawdma was. Not that he minded the company, it was just odd. During the day, Naruto and his friends would train in their field, with Gawdma napping nearby, and at night, Naruto would stay in Jouba's hut, since Sakamoto didn't like people in her hut when she wasn't home. It went like this for sometime, a few weeks at least. But one day, the routine changed.

Naruto and the twins were in their field, waiting for Natsumi to show up so they all could spar in pairs. They had been waiting for little over an hour before she finally showed up, a bright smile on her face.

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late."

"It's ok, what's with the smile though?" Asked Katsu.

"Oh! Well… My oka-san has decided to teach me how to sew and such…"

"And that's a reason to smile!" Isamu shouted.

"It's not just that!" Natsumi growled. "She's also gonna teach me her fighting style. You know? Her taijutsu, ninjutsu and such… That's why I'm excited!"

"Your oka-san has a different style?" Asked Naruto.

"Yeah, unlike the rest of the clan. I'm so happy!" Natsumi squealed.

Naruto smiled. "That's great Natsumi-chan! I know you can do it!"

"Thanks! Well, I just came to tell you that. I have to head home now, my oka-san wants to start training right away! Ja!" Natsumi shouted as she ran back to the village.

The three boys looked at each other before sighing. There go their plans for the day.

* * *

"This could be bad… It would seem they are after him again." Sakamoto whispered to herself.

She and Boba had been tracking the movements of the two Akatsuki's for a while now. It would seem that the new genjutsu shogai they had placed around the village had fooled them at first, but the Uchiha had seen through it. It wouldn't take the two long to make it through the traps set around and in the actual barrier. Hopefully, it would be long enough for Sakamoto and Boba to get back and warn the village. Sakamoto cursed to herself silently.

"What should we do, Sakamoto-san?"

Sakamoto sighed. "We head back, and hope we make it there before they do. We need to report to Sumiko-sama and warn everyone."

Boba nodded in agreement. Within a few minutes, they were rushing back home.

* * *

Naruto official felt jilted… First Natsumi starts training with her mom, now the twins are training with their kekkei genkai. Don't take that wrong, he was happy for them. But all this left him alone. He could always go see what Aniki Yoshiro was up to but he would rather not surround himself with all those siblings. They still had a bit of a grudge, seeing as Naruto beat Yoshiro in their spars.

Now, Naruto walked through the streets of the village, hands behind his head. This alone time did have an upside, he had time to think. It had been almost a year since he had come to the village, he couldn't believe how the time flew by. It defiantly felt like home. He had good friends here, and lots of people who cared about him. To say he missed life in Konoha would have been a bit of an exaggeration. Sure, he missed his friends back in Konoha, but he wasn't sure they were even his friends. He never had the chance to see their reactions to him being a jinchuuriki, unlike he did here. He had a feeling that back in Konoha, they would have rejected him. That thought made him appreciate the people of the village more. They respected him because of his burden.

Naruto stumbled a bit, having been shoved slightly. Turning around, he found Gawdma staring at him, her acid green eyes filled with worry.

"_What's wrong pup? You seem depressed… It's not like you."_

Naruto glanced down at the ground as Gawdma's voice echoed in his head.

"It's nothing, I'm just bored."

"_What's there to be bored about pup? You have training to do."_

"No I don't…"

"_Hehehe… my dear pup, you always have training to do."_

Gawdma stepped forward, turning the blonde boy and swinging her massive forelimb over his shoulders as she laid her head next to his.

"_Especially when I have decided to train you."_

"What? You… train me? How!?"

"_You have the Kyuubi in you, correct? This small factor along with your natural affinity for nature is what will allow me to train you."_

"I still don't understand… what will you train me in?"

"_Hehehe… I will teach you to become a predator!"_

* * *

"I see… so they are on their way?"

"Yes Sumiko-sama. We estimate that they will arrive within the next week, depending on how long it takes them to break down the genjutsu." Sakamoto spoke.

"Hmm, what do you suggest we do?"

"Plan our offensive. They only know about the Uchiha branch in this village, our other clans would take them by surprise."

Sakamoto, Boba, and Sumiko sat in the elders hut. Sakamoto and Boba had just returned from their mission following the Akatsuki. The news they brought with them was not good. Now they sat planning their next move, to protect Naruto.

"We cannot put so many families at risk, just to defend Naruto. We have only some idea of their power, it is best to tread cautiously."

"I agree Sumiko-sama, but what shall we do?" asked Boba.

Sumiko closed her eyes in thought.

* * *

"What are we doing out here Gawdma?"

Naruto glanced around the clearing he had been lead to. Gawdma had taken him deep into the forest, far enough that he couldn't hear the sounds from the village anymore. Only the sounds of nature could be heard. The clearing was tranquil and beautiful, it hardly seemed like a place to train. And he was still confused by Gawdma's words, '_"Teach you to become a predator" what they hell does she mean by that?'_ Naruto's thoughts were broken by a large weight that had settled onto his head. Looking over, he found Gawdma had settled to sitting next to him, her paw resting upon his head.

"_Look around you pup, what do you see?"_

"Well…"

"_Don't speak with you mouth, force your words through your thoughts."_

Naruto had a confused look on him for a few moments, before he tried to think his answer to Gawdma.

"_Well… I see a forest."_

"_Good. Now, what about the forest strikes you?"_

"_I don't understand what you mean. It's a normal forest… nothing special that I can see."_

"_That is where you are wrong pup. There is no such thing as a normal forest, and every predator knows that. A good predator can see the strengths and weaknesses of each setting they enter. That is the first thing I plan to teach you. My lessons won't be easy, or fun. If you fail my lessons, there's a good chance you'll die."_

"_What!?"_

"_Now, sit here and meditate… listen to the sounds of this forest, absorb it. Become part of it. I'll return tomorrow, if you have not completed this first lesson by then, I'll leave you here until you do. _

Naruto's expression became horrified as he was forced to sit. Gawdma gave him a twisted smirk before she began to stalk off, leaving him to complete her lesson. Once her shape had dissolved into the shadows of the woods, Naruto pouted. He didn't like this lesson at all, but he decided he would do it anyway. He had the feeling that whatever Gawdma wanted to teach him would be useful to him in the future. Calming himself, Naruto let his mind wander as the sounds of the forest penetrated his mind, lulling him into a trance.

* * *

Gawdma stalked through the village, following Sakamoto's scent trail. She felt it was her obligation to inform the Urufu where her charge had been taken. Glancing up at where the scent trail had lead her, Gawdma let out an audible sigh before walking to the hut. Looking at the group before her, she sat and listened. They had not even acknowledged her intrusion; this meant something important was being discussed. Perhaps Gawdma could put her two cents in if she stuck around. Gawdma listened to their conversation, _'So… those two are coming back for the pup… something didn't seem right about them.'_

"You remember what Naruto said about the Uchiha, what he did to his family. I'm sure the blue one has done much worse!" Shouted Boba.

"I agree but, we cannot be sure how to do so since we have limited knowledge of their abilities. We must tread cautiously!"

"_Sumiko-san, if I may interject."_

Sumiko turned her tired eyes towards Gawdma and nodded.

"_I agree that they may have done terrible things but, when I stood between them and the pup before, I sensed something was not right."_

"What do you mean?" Asked Sumiko.

"_Well… for one, their scents were strange, they didn't smell human. Also, their chakra clashed with their aura. That is a sure sign of a genjutsu, but what genjutsu? It would have to have been a powerful one to fool that Uchiha."_

"I noticed that as well. From what I could figure, their scents were that of a person who was either sleeping or in a coma. But that can't be, since they were awake and fighting." Sakamoto's eyes grew dark with contemplation.

"Hmm… do you think it could be that jutsu?" Asked Sumiko.

"I think it would have to be. That's the only thing that explains it." Answered Sakamoto.

"But if it that jutsu, then those two are innocent… they have no idea what they've done, right?" Boba's expression was one of concern.

"_Yes, they would be, depending on when the jutsu was cast upon them. I think we should undo the jutsu, and hear what they have to say. Who knows, we could end up gaining more allies, and perhaps some inside information on this Akatsuki…"_

* * *

It was close to noon the next day before Gawdma returned to Naruto. She found him in the same spot she left him, sitting in a trance. There was a soft crimson glow around him, leading her to think that he was conversing with Kyuubi. She smiled; he was making more progress than she had anticipated. This lesson was more than just becoming one with living surroundings, but to also teach the boy how to contact the fox at his convenience, not when his life depended on it.

Stalking towards the boy, she noted that the red glow started to disappear. Her smile grew wider. The boy was amazing.

"_You are progressing much faster than I had expected, you should be proud."_

"_What next, Gawdma-sensei?"_

"_Hehe… This is where things get deadly. Your next assignment is to remain out here for an undetermined amount of time. If you survive, then both Sakamoto and I will teach you. This training will take you away from the village for several years. Sakamoto will join us soon. Now, follow me."_

Naruto nodded and went to stand. A chorus of pops sounded from his joints as he did so. Once he was ready to travel, Gawdma lead Naruto off deeper in the woods.

* * *

"How much longer till we break through Itachi-san?" Kisame whined through the fog of the genjutsu.

Itachi did not reply, his focus on dismantling the complex genjutsu that surrounded the village. Itachi's vision was fogged, even with the Sharingan. No matter how much of the genjutsu collapsed before them, the fog only seemed to get thicker. Now, the only sign that Kisame was still walking adjacent to him was the muffled sound of his voice. This frustrated the Uchiha to no end. After another hour, the fog finally started to lift. The last part of the genjutsu had fallen. Blinking his Sharingan eyes several times as the last traces of the fog vanished, Itachi found himself staring at something most odd.

Before the two Akatsuki's stood a battalion of kekkei genkai. Every person standing before them had their bloodlines blazing and ready for battle. Itachi heard Kisame take a sharp breath of surprise. Their opposition was far more powerful than they had anticipated. Scanning the group before them, Itachi's gaze rested upon an elderly woman in the center front. There was nothing obviously threatening about her except for the fact that the combination of hand signs she was performing was foreign to him and Kisame as well. When she had completed her signs, she held on had open in front of her. Her hand shook as ice blue chakra began to envelope it.

Spear like tentacles began to sprout from the blue chakra, and with a final hand sign, the tentacles launched towards the Akatsuki's. The two nin did nothing to defend themselves. They could not even see the attack coming at them. The chakra tentacles pierced through them, enveloping them in an icy glow. One tentacle speared straight through, while the others turned and pierced through them again, repeating this multiple times. Still, the Akatsuki's did nothing. Finally, the tentacles began to recoil towards the elderly woman. Pulling with them, a chakra image of the Akatsuki's, but these images were not identical to the physical bodies. These images were covered in facial peircings and strange markings on their skins.

All Itachi saw was a flash of ice blue light that blocked his eyes before his vision faded to black.

* * *

Sakamoto glanced back at the village when she sensed Sumiko's jutsu. She smiled softly before turning back to the trail that Gawdma had left for her to follow. It took her about an hour to catch up with the large beast and her charge. They had already set up camp for the night when she arrived. Sitting down by the fire, Sakamoto glanced over at Naruto. These next few years were going to be hell for him, but she had faith he would survive the training. She knew that if he did, there would not be a soul alive that could stop him.

"You had better get some sleep gaki, tomorrow's gonna be hell."

**A/N: Hey all! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's the longest one yet! I wonder what Sumiko did to Itachi and Kisame, and will Naruto survive his training? Who knows! This is where the time skip is, I won't tell you how long the time skip is, but it's long. The next chapter will be the first chapter after the time skip. I'll remind you about that later. **

**Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto… **

**A/N: Ok, please don't hurt me. I'm sorry I took so long… But hey! I updated! Rejoice!**

**Also… Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Your words of encouragement really helped me. I've never really opened up to my readers like that before, it felt good, and I'm glad so many of you let me cry on your shoulders, so to speak. I've been over my ex for a while now… **

**But during my time away, I had gained a girlfriend. We stayed together for a while before my feelings started to change. We're still friends and plan on trying again, once I'm out of school. **

**I also attended another anime convention in my absence. I was in a cosplay skit; we didn't win anything but oh well. **

**Again, I apologize for how long this chapter took. I didn't intend for it to be so late. But I do hope it was worth it. **

Ruroushagakure

The smell of blood and the groans of the injured were everywhere. Another ambush disassembled, but at a cost. Every member of the team was injured to some degree. They had been sent to provide relief to the south border base. The attack was fast but the team managed to dispose of their enemies without casualty. But, unless they managed to find ally shelter, there would be some fatalities.

The team leader, a man in his late 20's with bushy brown hair held in pony-tail, surveyed his team. There were five, including himself. Nearest to him was a young man around the same age, with pale white eyes. The man was suffering from chakra exhaustion and a broken arm. Nearest to him was a portly man, also the same age, lying on his back. Several stab wounds evident upon him. Then there was the team medic. She was only scrapped and bruised. Her pink hair was pulled back as she treated the last member of their team. He was the worst off. The young man with monster eyebrows was unconscious. He had several broken bones. One fracture was protruding through his skin. He also had several torn muscles, but his exposed bone was the biggest concern. The leader sighed, they were screwed.

He only hoped that the message he sent would get there soon.

* * *

Tsunade sat in her office, head pounding and sake empty. Mountains of paperwork stood scattered around. She cursed the council; this war was all their fault. If they had not been so adamant about getting the Uchiha back, Oto would not be throwing flaming kunai at their door. This war had been going on for too long. Tsunade wondered why Orochimaru hadn't brought the full force of Oto down upon Konoha and annihilated it yet. That was his alternate goal wasn't it? Her wondering came to a stop when Shizune burst through the door, followed by Ebisu.

"What?" Tsunade grumbled.

"Tsunade-sama, we received a message just now." Ebisu began. "Shikamaru's team, sent to relieve the shinobi at the south base, was ambushed. All are unable to fight."

"Huh? Sound shinobi have made it into the fire country?"

"It would seem so milady."

"I bear even worse news, Tsunade-sama." Shizune admitted. "Suna still cannot locate the Kazekage."

* * *

Gaara sat comfortably on the seating pillow provided for him. Though his expression remained impassive, he was happy to be where he was. He rather enjoyed his regular retreats, away from his job as Kazekage. He was also glad that he never told anyone where he went to. It made his time away more relaxing. Gaara glanced up when his host entered. A soft smile graced his cold features.

* * *

"What do you mean 'they still can't find him'?"

"No one in Suna knows where the Kazekage is. They think he may have been kidnapped. Though he does vanish from time to time, Temari-san is usually left in chard. This time, neither of his siblings knew he left."

"Just what we need now... Any idea who took him?"

"Either Oto, for leeway, or Akatsuki milady."

Tsunade pressed a hand against her head. She felt another headache coming.

* * *

"We need to get out of here, there's nothing else I can do for Lee here. I need to set his bones and clean the break." Sakura stated.

"We can't move now. Who knows if there is anymore oto-nin around." Neji sighed.

"Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, panting heavily from over working herself.

"Neji's only half right. Everyone is injured; we can't risk moving till hokage-sama sends help."

Sakura sighed, knowing it was pointless to press any further. She wiped the seat from her brow. They desperately needed some help. Everyone's heads shot up at the sound of rustling leaves.

"Tsunade-sama, what do we do about Shikamaru's team?" asked Shizune.

Tsunade paused. "Shizune, take a squad and a few medics. Go bring them back."

The teams eyes widened at what emerged into their makeshift camp. None of them had seen anything like it before. The creature was between six and seven feet tall. Its body was covered with rust red fur with tan spots on its back. Senbon like spines ran from its snout to its tail, with small horns on it head. Saber fangs protruded from its upper jaw, broken tusks rested on the sides of its nose. Acid green eyes appeared frightening, but glimmered with curiosity. The creature began walking around their camp, sniffing each person with its dog like nose. Finishing its investigation, it grunted before leaving.

* * *

"You won't reconsider?" asked Gaara in a soft voice.

"I thought you came here to avoid politics." A deep voice replied.

"This is unavoidable, unfortunately."

"If that's the case, then why didn't you stay home?" the host had become agitated.

"I like it here. You said I'm always welcome and that you would lend a hand to any problem I may have. I currently have a problem, and you're bluntly refusing to help." Gaara stated sternly.

"You know very well why I'm refusing."

"But you'd be helping me."

"It doesn't matter! You know that I or my village will not lend any form of assistance to that village!!"

He scowled.

"Never!"

* * *

The team looked up, including the now conscious Rock Lee, as the strange creature returned again. This time it brought with it a fresh deer. In its previous visits it had brought them wood, a leaf filled with water, and various berries. It dumped the deer in front of Shikamaru before turning to leave again. Shikamaru smirked before moving to skin and cut the meat. As the creature vanished again, the group began to eat.

Sometime later, it returned again. This time, clenched gently between its jaws were some fresh bandages. It walked over to Sakura and deposited them before her. It stared at her with its green eyes. Sakura took the bandages tentively, before moving to Lee. She changed the bandages that were keeping the bone separate from the air. As she did so, the creature began to growl. Everyone looked to see that it was looking towards the treetops, its mouth in a snarl.

Just then, a troop of shinobi dropped from the trees. They revealed themselves to be konoha shinobi. Shizune smiled at the team before stared at the creature, just as the rest of her party was. It snarled once before becoming solemn, then turning to leave.

"What was that?" A shinobi asked.

"An Onibaneko…" Shizune trailed. "But what is it doing here?"

* * *

"It seems I can't sway you." Gaara paused. "Fine then…"

He stood and turned to leave. As he pushed the door flap out of the way, he spoke over his shoulder, "I suppose I'll go speak with your mother and wife. Perhaps I can sway them."

He then left, not missing the look of betrayal and horror on his hosts' face.

* * *

"Reporting in Tsunade-sama!" Shizune spoke as she stood before the hokage's desk.

"Well?"

"Most had minor injuries. We think Rock Lee may need surgery to repair his leg, otherwise he too has minor injuries."

"That's good." Tsunade sighed.

"Umm… Tsunade-sama."

"What?"

"There was something strange about how we found them though…" Shizune hesitated.

"What was strange?"

"Apparently, they were being cared for by an Onibaneko… and from its appearance it was a former alpha female."

Tsunade looked at Shizune a moment, trying to digest what she had said.

"An Onibaneko… was caring for them?"

* * *

"He refuses to lend me assistance." Gaara stated flatly.

The two women before him just stared.

"I can't believe him!" Stated the younger one angrily.

"He's such an idiot…" said the older one, dryly.

"Will you help me convince him otherwise?" Gaara asked.

"And why wouldn't we?" the younger one smirked.

* * *

Gawdma flopped down under a tall tree, exhausted. She stretched her limbs and rolled onto her back. Stretching again, she sighed, tongue flopping out the side of her snout. She was perfectly relaxed.

"And where have you been?"

Gawdmas eyes shot open as she rolled back onto her belly. Looking up, she saw Sakamoto sitting on the tree branch above her, she scowled.

"_What dos it matter to you?"_

Sakamoto shrugged. "You've been gone all day, but people spotted you staling food and such. That on top of the strange smells that cling to you, I'd say you're hiding someone."

"_And what if I was?"_ Gawdma smirked.

"Was?" Sakamoto was confused.

"_They went home." _Gawdma nodded.

"They?! There was more than one?"

Gawdma smiled. _"Five… all shinobi."_

* * *

"This is not about some vendetta of mine!" A deep male voice shouted.

"Oh? It's not? Then what is it about?!" The woman paused. "You realize that you are alienating the only ally we have and the last friend you have outside this village? That by refusing him, you are putting him at risk in this stupid war!"

"I know!!" He paused. "But that's not what's important here."

"Then what is? You always said 'friends come first'! Are you going against your word?"

"No! But family is more important than that! This village is my home; these people are a part of my family. You're asking me to put their lives in danger to help that village and end a pointless war!"

* * *

"Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade looked up from the map she was scrutinizing. "What?"

"Temari-san has arrived, she thinks she may know where the Kazekage might be."

Tsunade thought a moment. "Show her in."

Once the attendant left, Tsunade returned to the map. She was trying to figure out how such a desert bound creature as a Onibaneko had managed to make it to the fire country, and still survive. Tsunade may not have known much on the creatures, but she did know they didn't last long away from their natural environment. Something about one appearing in the forest, full grown and healthy, did not sit well with her. She had several books open around her on the creature, but none were helping. Tsunade heard a knock on her door, and sounded for the visitor to enter. Temari walked in, followed closely by her other brother, Kankuro. She nodded to them, before returning to the mystery before her.

"Tsunade-sama" Temari started "I think my brother might be within the borders of the fire country."

"Why do you think that?" Tsunade asked, only half listening.

"Well… We think he may have gone to his privet retreat." She said.

"What?"

"He hasn't said much about it to us. We don't even know its location. He goes there often though…" She paused. "He usually leaves without anyone knowing. The only sign is that he asks me to watch over things while he's away. Once I caught sight of him while he was leaving. This huge rust colored dog was escorting him."

"Rust colored dog?" Tsunade asked, her interest had.

"I'm not sure what it is, or what it's called. But a 'rust colored dog' is the best way I can describe it."

Tsunade thought a moment before grabbing the photo Sakura had managed to take of the Onibaneko. She held it out to Temari. "Did it look like this?"

Temari took the photo and looked it over a moment, before her eyes widened. "Yes! It looked exactly like this! I think it may be the very same creature!" Temari paused. "Where was this taken?"

"About three miles north east of the south base, why?" Tsunade answered.

"I think we may need a team to go with Kankuro and me." Temari looked back at her brother. "Gaara is near that location."

* * *

"He's being stubborn." Sakamoto sighed.

"_What else is new?"_ Gawdma yipped.

Sakamoto now sat next to Gawdma under the tree, her right hand absently rubbing Gawdmas belly. Gawdma lay on her back, not moving to stop Sakamoto's movements. They sat this way for a few moments of unnoticed silence.

"_The boy will come around eventually. He usually does." _Gawdma stated.

"That's true… he's so predictable." Sakamoto gave a soft laugh.

* * *

"Nothing is going to change my answer." He stated.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

* * *

The trek was taking longer than it should have. They had been traveling for over a day, to get to a location that took Shizune and her squad around half a day to reach. Temari supposed the time delay was due to their large group. The team consisted of her and her brother, Tsunade and Jiraiya, along with Sakura and Shikamaru, the only two of the squad who has recovered enough to travel. Sakura and Shikamaru were leading the rest to the location where they were stranded.

Temari sighed, this was all so unnecessary. If it weren't for the fact that Gaara had asked for this specifically, she would not have asked the leaf to accompany her to find him. She still remembered his strange request.

"_Temari, a few days from now I'll be leaving you in charge again." Gaara stood with his back turned. _

"_I understand Gaara." _

"_There's something I need you to do while I'm away though." _

_Temari's expression became perplexed. Gaara had never asked more of her than to watch over his duties. "What's that Gaara?"_

"_A week after I've left, report to the leaf that I have gone missing. Then take Kankuro with you to the leaf and have Tsunade-san and Jiraiya accompany you to where I am. It is of great importance you have them come."_

_Temari was very confused, but trusted that her brother knew what he was doing. "Alright Gaara… I'll do as you ask." _

Temari shook her head, what had Gaara been thinking? She didn't have long to ponder this as their group soon became surrounded.

Surrounded by the sounds of snarling beasts.

One by one, each Onibaneko emerged from the forest around them, trapping them. All were snarling, fangs bore and saliva dripping from their chins. To Temari, they were acting starved. They were grunting and barking at each other, strategizing an attack. Then… All their noises stopped. Their mouths shut and they stood stock still. Unsure of what was happening, none in the group moved. Then, a human figure emerged in the forest beyond the wall of rust fur. A female voice called to them.

"What an interesting prey we've found."

* * *

The man was sitting alone in the hut, immersed in total darkness. He was brooding, something he tried not to do often. His thoughts were on what the woman had said, on what Gaara had asked. It was all so confusing and conflicting. All it did was make him mad. He tried to steady his breathing, to calm himself, when the door flap of the hut opened. A tall golden eyed man stood in the entrance. His green hair was held back in a braid, his face half hidden behind scales. He stared down at the other man, before speaking.

"Kira caught something you might want to have a look at, Elder-sama."

The group from Konoha and Suna sat on their knees in the middle of a foreign village, corralled by Onibaneko. All around them were people of every shape, size and color, all looking on curiously at them. We must look like circus freaks to them, thought Sakura. You could tell everyone in the group were nervous, even Jiraiya and Tsunade. There was nothing worse than being captured by an enemy you didn't know existed. The group looked up as the crowd around them parted.

Walking towards them were three people. The one on the right was the most recognizable, as it was the Kazekage himself.

The figure to the far left was female. She stood about average height. Her face was gently curved and framed by her black bangs. Her long black hair was held back in a braid. Her figure was well curved and muscled. She walked with a grace only the noble families carried. Her coal black eyes stared at them with cold indifference much like that of the Uchiha.

The figure in the middle was the most intimidating though. The figure was a man around 5" 10'. His frame was large but feminine. His face was well angled, shrouded by his mixed bangs. His hair was an interesting mixture of red, black and blonde. All mixed so well, you couldn't tell which the base color was. It was pulled into a low ponytail and trailed down to his knees. His tan figure was well muscled, you could see this because he wore no shirt. He wore only a pair of gi pants, and some leather shoes. Over his shoulders though, rested a velvet cloak. It was black, with orange trimming the cuffs and collar. He stood before them, his purple slitted eyes boring straight through them.

There was a long moment where everyone could feel the air begin to spark. Temari glanced at her brother, and pleaded with her eyes. Gaara merely glanced at the man, before closing his eyes. Temari felt abandoned, to say the least. Everyone in their group, including Jiraiya and Tsunade, felt uncomfortably under the man's gaze. Tsunade soon grew angry, but a hand over hers kept her down to earth. Jiraiya glanced over, to make sure she had calmed. After a few more moments, Shikamaru decided to break the tension.

"Geez, I don't know what you guys are so worked up about…" Shikamaru spoke, completely unaffected. He looked up at the man before them before continuing.

"It's just Naruto."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you… I don't own it!! For the love of kami… get it through your heads!!**

**A/N: Ok, this time I have actual reasons for being late. First off… I had to bring up every grade for every class I was taking in school. Second, once I did that, I had finals. Followed by graduation! I have been busy!! Also, I wasn't sure how this chapter should play out since everyone hates Gaara now… You won't hate him for much longer, trust me. Anyway… On with the story!!**

Ruroshagakure

The group of captives stared at Shikamaru in shock, before turning their gazes towards the man towering over them. After really taking in his appearance, each began to notice features that were unique to Naruto. The tan skin should have been a dead giveaway, along with the fait outline of the seal that was visible on his belly. The biggest thing they noticed, after really taking in his face, were the thick whisker marks that were hidden behind his hair.

Tsunades' eyes began to water as she stared at the man who was once her adoptive brother. Her breathing began to quicken as it finally registered in her head that her little brother was alive. Narutos' eyes came to rest upon her, and his cold gaze softened. Tsunade reached up to grab her necklace, but then remembered she gave it to the man in front of her. She looked up to him; he seemed to understand her unsaid question and answered in a voice she's never heard before.

"I gave it to someone special to me, Tsunade-baachan. " He smiled softly.

The flood gates opened when she heard him say her nick name, 13 years of pent up sorrow burst forth all at once. Tsunade began to cry. Jiraiya didn't know how to handle this; he'd never actually seen her cry. Then everyone looked on in awe as Naruto kneeled down and embraced his onetime mother figure. He hugged her tightly as she continued to cry. Narutos' villagers watched in a state of appeasement, they knew he couldn't hate everyone in Konoha. As Tsunades' tears began to turn into hollow sobbing, Naruto spoke words of reassurance to her in a soft voice. He was so concentrated on comforting her, he didn't notice when her fists began to clench. Then…

_**WHAM!!**_

Narutos' head was flying to the left, followed slowly by his body, a red handprint clearly visible on his face. He managed to catch himself before he fell to the ground; he placed a hand on his throbbing cheek. He was then grabbed by the shoulders and forced to face an angry Tsunade. She looked directly into his purple eyes, her own eyes red and puffy. Her face was in an angry scowl, but here eyes were still filled with tears. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse.

"You stupid brat!! How could you be alive all this time and let me go on thinking you were dead?! How could you do this!? How could you?!" She then broke down crying again.

Despite how much his face hurt, Naruto knew he earned it. He couldn't imagine how much the whole ordeal had hurt the few who actually cared about him. He sighed deeply; he had hoped he would never have to be in the situation he was currently in. He had hoped to just stay away from the rest of the world, and let them go on thinking he had died. But Gaara had made it impossible now. Though Naruto thought he had an idea why Gaara had done this. Naruto couldn't run anymore. He reached out and pulled Tsunade into another hug as she began to cry again. As he comforted her, he looked up to Gaara and Natsumi, both smiled softly to him.

"I'm sorry Baa-chan, but if I had sent you anything, the council would know I was alive and then my new home would be in danger. " He paused. "I didn't want that to happen."

Tsunade nodded against his chest, tears still falling.

Naruto glanced over at Jiraiya. He was sitting, a look of exasperation on his face. Jiraiya had aged somewhat since Naruto had last seen him, his face seemed tired, kinda like how the sandaime looked. Naruto nodded over to his old sensei, who gave him a smile and a head shake.

Shikamaru was next, the man looked bored. He stared at the clouds as usual. Naruto laughed a bit to himself at that. He hadn't changed that much, still recognizable as the lazy genius that had lead Naruto on that fateful mission.

Naruto then turned his gaze to his old teammate. She had matured nicely. Her form wasn't overdone like Tsunade's. Her hair went down past her shoulders a bit, it framed her face nicely. She sat looking at him with tears in her eyes. He could tell she was restraining herself from hugging him. She probably thought he was still angry over the battle he had had with Sasuke. Naruto smiled at her, before gesturing for her to hug him too. At this, her tears began to fall as she leapt at him as well. He sighed.

Natsumi looked down at the scene before her. It was so surreal to see Naruto like this, considering how stubborn he had been just before. She was happy he was coming to terms with his past, even if it was like this. She looked over to Gaara, and gave him a thankful smile.

After a moment, Naruto began to return the hugs he was receiving, but it was then that Jiraiya had to ruin the moment, not that Naruto didn't mind.

"Man… maybe I should vanish without word and then suddenly reappear… I'd have Tsunade-hime all over me." He said with a smile before he was punched in the face by an infuriated Tsunade.

Naruto just shook his head, while mumbling, "Ero-sennin… you never change."

"Damn right he never changes!!" Tsunade agreed.

At this, Naruto began to laugh. Naruto sat on the ground laughing till his stomach hurt, and even then he kept at it, holding his aching belly. His laughter became contagious as Sakura, Shikamaru, Temari, Kankuro, the villagers, and even Gaara joined him. When he finally calmed down, he looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya with jubilant eyes.

"I'm glad you two haven't changed."

**A/N: Ok… now you all probably hate me but… I don't care!! I think this is plenty for now. I still have some plot holes to fill in before the next chapter, so this is really all I can give you for now. Plus, I'm tired. I graduated on Friday, and have done nothing but attend parties and dinners since… Anyway, I'll update as soon as I can!**

**Chibi Oro **


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